IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


|IIIIIM  iM 


m 
m 


2.0 


1.8 


U    111  1.6 


V] 


/y 


'e^. 


/W7  *k        ■ 


M 


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^' 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


73  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WSB5TCR,N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


\s 


"yi  Mi 


&/ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historlques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliograpniques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
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which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


□ 
D 
D 
D 

n 

D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


□    Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 


Coveis  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculie 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
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Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relie  avec  d'autres  documents 

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La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
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mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm6  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
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I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Of 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu^es 


□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

I    Tx^owthrough/ 
I  M^  Transparence 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


D 
D 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


Only  edition  available/ 
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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


- 

rhis  item 

s  filmed  at  the  reduction  rati 

o  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 

10X                             14X                              18X                             22X                              26X                             30X 

1 
1 

7 

12X 

16X 

20X                              24X                             28X                             32X 

The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6ro8it6  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 

\ 

i 

Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
contormit6  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film^s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  chaque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  !e 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  plarches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  d  des  taux  da  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  filmd  &  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

^CA^DIA. 


A    LOST    CHAPTER 


American    His+ory 


BY  PHILIP  F.  SMITH 


ILLUSTRATED 


"The  beloved  Acadian  land,  the  Innd  of  Evangeline."  (Lotif^ellow.) 
"Let  those  who  would  persecute  or  proscribe  for  opinion's  sake,  and 
limit  by  political  exclusion  the  right  to  worship  God  in  the  form  by  which 
he  who  worships,  chooses;  who  would,  if  let  alone,  join  in  the  hunt  or 
exile  of  those  who,  like  the  Acadiaus,  cherish  the  fiith  of  their  cliildl.ood 
and  ancestors,  lot  them  read  the  story  of  the  Acadian  Exiles,  and  bewara 
of  the  sure  retribution  of  History."  (Memoirs  Peun.  Hist  Society.) 


PAWLING  N.  Y. 

Published  by  the  Authob 
1884 


FC  2oiA 


^53 


o 


Entered  ritordiug  to  Act  of  Cougrcss,  in  the  year  18S1,  by 

PHILIP  II.  SMITH, 

In  the  OAi'^c  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 


i^ 


The  story  of  Evangeline,  from  its  tender  pathos,  its  touch- 
ing appeals  to  the  deeper  emotions  of  tbe  soul,  and  the  sin- 
gularly romantic  historical  episode  on  which  the  poem  is 
based,  has  evor  been,  to  the  writer  of  this  volume,  a  work  of 
interest.  A  longing  to  behold  the  land  of  those  Acadian 
Exiles,  "  who  had  aforetime  dwelt  by  the  Basin  of  Minas," 
imperceptibly  grew  up,  which  was  at  length  gratified:  the 
memory  of  the  brief  sojourn  in  the  "Acadian  Land,"  will 
ever  remain  among  his  most  highly  treasured  recollections. 

Then  came  a  desire  to  know  more  of  that  affiicted  people, 
and  of  the  facts  attending  their  expulsion  from  the  soil  of 
their  ancestors.  The  author  was  surprised  that  this  chap- 
ter of  American  annals  had  been  passed  over  in  almost  ut- 
ter silence  by  nearly  every  American  historian,  and  that  the 
only  books  treating  of  the  subject  at  any  length,  with  a  sin- 
gle exception,  were  a  few  old  and  rare  volumes,  many  of 
which  were  scarcely  to  be  had  at  any  price,  and  none  of 
them  accessible  to  the  general  reader.  This  suggested  the 
preparation  of  these  pages  to  meet  the  demand  of  those 
who  might,  like  himself,  feel  prompted  to  peruse  the  details 
of  this  sad  passage  in  the  world's  history. 

In  accomplishing  tbe   task,  the  author  wishes  to  state 


ACADIA 


that  he  has  made  free  use  of  coteraporary  history,  not  onlj 
as  to  facts,  but  likewise  incorporatiug  portions  of  the  text, 
when  such  a  course  seemed  preferable.  Upwards  of  fifty 
authorites  have  been  laid  under  contiibation,  and  it  is  his 
own  fault  if  some  of  the  best  portions  in  each  have  not  been 
culled.  To  mention  each  of  them  by  name  would  unneces- 
sarily burden  these  pages,  and  he  hopes  this  acknowledg- 
ment will  be  considered  sufficient  without  a  pedantic  dis- 
play of  marginal  notes. 

The  typographical  work  was  done  in  a  "Country  office," 
with  a  fifty-pound  font  of  type  and  an  old  Liberty  job  press, 
the  stereotyping  being  executed  with  home-made  apparatus, 
after  a  process  developed  from  personal  experiment.  The 
illustrations,  also  by  himself,  whatever  may  be  their  artist- 
ic worth,  are  believed  to  faithfully  represent  the  subjects 
they  are  designed  to  elucidate,  which,  after  all,  must  be  ad- 
mitted to  be  the  prime  and  legitimate  purpose  of  illustration. 
The  author  feels  at  liberty  to  make  this  statement  out  of  jus- 
tice to  himself,  inasmuch  as  the  book  must  of  necessity  com- 
pete, in  an  overcrowded  market,  with  other  books  that  have 
not  only  received  the  careful  manipulation  of  half  a  score  of 
artisans,  skilled  in  as  many  distinct  trades,  but  also  have 
engaged  in  their  manufacture  complicated  machinery  to  the 
value  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

Thus  much  touching  the  mechanical  and  literary  execu- 
tion of  the  work.  As  to  the  historical  data  given  in  the 
book,  and  the  conclusions  drawn  therefrom,  the  author  ex- 
pects, and  furthermore,  cordially  invites  the  most  search- 
ing criticisms,  as  he  is  well  aware  the  subject  involves  na- 
tional pride  and  prejudice,  and  all  are  entitled  to  a  hearing. 


*% 
a 


4 


PEBTPACII! 


T 


What  he  gives  as  facts  are  taken  from  what  bo  beHeves  to 
be  reliable  sources,  aud  he  has  only  stated  bis  bouest  con« 
yictions,  wherever  the  blame  may  fall. 

Another  departure  is,  the  volume  is  put  on  the  market 
without  the  imprint  of  an  influential  publishing  house  to 
give  it  currency  among  the  peopla  The  writer  believes 
the  subject  to  be  one  that  will  introduce  the  book,  and 
prefers  to  conti'ol  its  sale  himself ;  and  trusts  that  the  mod- 
esty of  his  pretensions  will  prompt  the  trade  to  extend  a 
friendly  hand. 

Could  he  be  assured  that  the  reader,  under  whose  eye 
this  book  may  chance  to  fall,  may  derive  as  much  enjoy- 
ment in  its  perusal  as  he  has  had  in  the  collection  of  the 
materials  and  subsequent  compilation,  then  the  pen  will  be 
laid  down  with  the  feeling  that  the  labor  has  not  been  per- 
formed in  vain.  And  should  it  cause  one  sympathetic  heart 
to  pause  in  the  midst  of  the  bustle  of  the  present  and  drop 
a  tear  of  compassion  to  the  memory  of  the  poor  exiles, 
now  gone  from  earth  and  almost  forgotten,  then  the  rec- 
ompense will  be  still  greater. 

With  these  explanations  the  volume  is  sent  out  into  the 
world  to  buflfet  with  the  waves  of  competition  and  preju- 
dice, to  ride  out  the  storm  in  safety,  or  be  swallowed  up 
as  many  a  more  meritorious  book  has  been  before. 

Pawling,  Feb.  1st,  1884. 


!' 


! 


t 


f 


CONTEiNTS 


Introdtjctiox  ... 

Pkei.iminary  Discourse 

Early  Explorations 

Attempts  at  Colonization 

Permanent  Settlement 

The  La  Tours  -  .  _ 

From  Graxd-I-ontaine  to  MENXiiVAL 

Villkbon  on  the  St.  John 

Fall  op  Fort  Uoyal 

Troubles  of  the  J'rench 

Capture  of  Louisbourq 

Refusing  the  Oath  -  * 

Fall  of  Beausejour 

Preliminary  to  Expulsion 

Expulsion  of  the  Erench  Neutrals' 

The  French  Neutrals  in  Pennsylvania 

"     Massachusetts 
Affairs  in  Acadia 

Downfall  of  French  Rule  in  America 
English  Occupation 
The  Fisheries  .  ,  _ 

Legends  »  .  _ 

Appendix  .  . 


11 

17 

24 

35 

40 

66 

83 

96 

loa 

tI4 
1:^9 


163 
167 
188 
21>8 
-  242 
250 

-  265 
276 
313 
322 

-  367 


r 


fe 


INTRODUCTION. 


Where  is  Acadia? 

It  is  not  down  on  the  maps.  Like  th'^  simple  and  i»i'1us- 
trious  yeomanry  winch  cot  ■inrised  its  '  .  abitimts,  ifs  record 
is  to  be  searched  after  in  tlie  dim  atma's  of  th>  past.  Were 
. \  Hot  that  a  poet  has  att'ned  its  story  to  ,er  ^e,  uiid  there- 
by c.auaed  tiiousands  of  heaits  to  throb  wiUi  emotions  of 
niingfled  pity  and  indignrition,  and  so  rendered  ifc  imm«)rtal, 
it  mi^ht  have  remained  in  oblivion.  Who  iias  not  heard 
of  Evanyeline  ?  Her  name  is  a  household  word  over  the  civ- 
ilized world,  for  the  translations  of  the  poem  are  legio'i,  so 
well  iidajited  is  it  to  stir  the  dr.'pest  sentiments  of  the  soul. 
To  put  the  question  diflferently,  Where  was  Acadia  I 

When  France  first  acqiiired  dominion  in  the  New  W^orld 
she  gave  to  her  Tiewly  acquired  tei'ritory  the  beautiful  name, 
Zi'Acadle,  or  in  its  anglicized  form,  Acadia,  By  the  treaty 
of  Utiecht,  in  1713,  that  power  made  over  to  the  Queen  of 
England  all  "Acadia  comprised  \vithin  its  ancient  bounda- 
ries." These  territorial  limits  became  afterward  a  great  na- 
tional question,  the  French  claiming  that  Acadia  comprised 
only  the  peninsula  now  known  as  Nova  Scotia,  while  the  Eng- 
lish maintained  it  included  the  surrounding  islands  and 
much  of  the  mainland  now  called  New  Brunswick.  Great 
Britain  had  previously  undertaken  to  establish  a  Scottish 
Barony  in  the  same  territory,  giving  to  the  country  its 
present  name  of  Nova  Scotia,  o:  New  Scotland.     It  will  an- 


f 


%$ 


ACADIA 


8wer  our  purpose  best  to  make  these  terms  interchangeable 
in  the  succeeding  chapters. 

Nova  Scotia  is  bounded  on  the  northwest  by  New  Bruns- 
wick and  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  north  by  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Northumberland  Straits,  and  on  the  other 
sides  by  the  Atlantic.  It  has  an  area  of  18,670  square 
miles,  or  about  double  that  of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire. 
The  form  of  the  peninsula  has  been  compared  to  that  of  a 
mitten,  the  thumb  being  the  isthmus  joining  it  to  New 
Brunswick.  No  part  of  Nova  Scotia  is  more  than  thirty 
miles  from  the  sea.  A  belt  of  rugged  rocks  stretches  along 
the  whole  southern  shore,  and  by  the  Bay  of  Fundy  coast. 
The  inland  is  rich  in  minerals,  well-wooded,  and  in  many 
parts,  exceedingly  fertile. 

That  long  line  of  rocky  coast  forming  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  Nova  Scotia  is  not  unfrequently  broken  into  shapes 
of  picturesque  boldness.  Sometimes  the  rocks  erect  a  dark 
and  perpendicular  wall,  against  which  the  storms  of  the  At- 
lantic have  beaten  for  ages.  At  other  times,  the  ocean,  pen- 
etrating far  inland,  forms  interior  seas,  around  which  clus- 
ter the  cabins  of  the  fishermen,  each  with  its  fish-flalccs  and 
its  fishing  boat  moored  near  at  haud.  These  bays  roseuible 
In  their  general  features  the  Norwegian  fjords,  and  give 
food  and  occupation  to  the  peasartry ;  and  except  when  ag- 
itated by  stornib,  suggest  nought  but  fertility  and  jieace. 

There  comes  a  change  when  the  tempest  breaks  over  the 
sea,  and  the  billows  dash  impetuously  among  the  shoals.  The 
stoutest  heart  shrinks  in  awe  at  the  display  of  Divma  pow- 
er, and  happy  is  the  bark  that  can  find  a  safe  harbor  whtn 
old  Ocean  is  once  fully  roused.  The  landsman  shudders  as 
the  gun  comes  booming  ove  •  the  water  from  the  vessel  iu 
distress,  calling  for  the  help  that  tc)0  often  is  unavailable ; 
and  when  morning  breaks,  and  the  storm  has  passed,  naught 
but  a  broken  hull  and  a  few  shattered  spars  are  left  to  tell 
the    talo.     Notwithstanding   that  lighthouses    shed    their 


c 


I* 


5 
5 


g" 


If 


Mill      111 !■ 


■    ■'-•»■'«,-,.» 


PBEFAOE 


13 


friendly  beams  from  every  jutting  headland;  and  sirens, 
bell  boats,  fog  trumpets  and  whistling  buoys  warn  the  anxious 
sailor  when  the  fogs  hide  the  lights,  and  life-boats,  manned 
by  sturdy  arms,  are  ready  to  brave  the  dangers  of  the  deep 
to  aid  the  shipwrecked  mariner; — in  short,  after  all  that 
human  skill  can  devise,  or  humanity  suggest,  for  lessening 
the  dangers  to  shipping,  these  irou-bouud  coasts  and  their 
insatiate  shoals  continue  to  demand  and  receive  many  a  hol- 
ocaust of  human  victims. 

But  little  is  known  of  Nova  Scotia  by  the  average  Ameri- 
can, and  that  little  is  closely  associated  with  ideas  of  a 
sinister  kind.  "Ought  to  be  banished  to  Nuva  Scotia!" 
*'Wish  it  was  in  Halifax!"  are  mild  forms  of  anathetnas  to 
which  we  have  I)een  accustomed  from  childhood.  But  this 
terrifory  has  a  just  claim  on  the  heart  of  every  citizen  of  our 
republic 

Hundi-eds  of  brave  New  Englanders  lie  sleeping  beneath 
the  greensward  on  Point  Rochfort,  beneath  the  once  frown- 
ing battlements  of  Louisbourg,  who  lost  their  lives  in  the 
early  struggles  for  the  possession  of  that  fortress.  The 
Acadian  seas  are  literally  strewn  with  the  wrecks  of  vessels 
sent  out  from  New  England  ports,  the  fate  of  whose  crews 
will  never  be  revealed  until  the  sea  yields  up  its  dead.  The 
shores  of  Bedford  Basin  are  hallowed  to  the  memory  as  the 
sepulchre  of  many  a  Revolutionary  hero,  who  perished  there 
in  captivity.  It  has  a  place  in  history  as  the  refuge  of 
thousands  of  Auierican  Lo^'alists,  who  were  there  given 
new  homes  by  the  King  in  whose  interest  they  sufiFered  ban- 
ishment We  have  alrt:ady  referred  to  the  expatriated  Aca- 
dians,  who  were  violently  torn  from  thence,  and  scattered 
throughout  the  English  colonies  on  the  Continent.  It  is  al- 
so the  domain  of  the  lisheries,  which  subject  has  long  been 
a  question  of  national  issue  between  the  two  great  powers 
of  England  and  the  United  States,  and  which  is  soon  to 
come  before  the  people  for  further  adjudication  or  arbitra- 


If 


14 


ACADTJI 


!'i  ! 


ment.  It  seems  almost  incredible  that  the  citizens  of  our 
country  should  manifest  so  little  interest  in  a  land  who?© 
varying  fortunes  have  ever  been  so  closely  associated  with 
our  own. 

It  is  emphatically  a  land  of  romance.  The  annals  of  the 
early  adventurers  need  not  the  gilding  of  fiction  to  invest 
them  with  interest.  Its  history  is  made  up  of  bloody  strife, 
startling  events,  and  singular  experiences.  It  has  been  the 
scene  of  miiitai-y  victories  by  sea  and  land  which  have  illu- 
minated, in  turn,  the  cities  of  France,  England,  and  the 
United  States ;  and  its  soil  has  drank  some  of  the  noblest 
blood  of  those  great  nations.  It  is  here  that  the  demon  of 
religious  intolerance  has  been  most  rampant,  and  fratricidal 
wars  exerted  their  most  baneful  iuflueuce.  Here,  too,  par- 
ticularly in  remote  French  settlements,  superstition  hoids 
powerful  sway.  The  headlands  of  the  coast  ai'e  haunted 
with  the  lost  spirits  of  the  victims  of  the  numberless  wrecks 
strewn  among  the  rocks;  weird  lights  flicker  about  the  seas 
on  wild  and  stormy  nights ;  strange  voices  inhabit  the  air, 
and  foreboding  signs  appear  in  the  sky ;  while  the  spectral 
feux-follets,  and  the  dreaded  loups-yarous,  prowl  about  the 
country  on  the  watch  for  souls.  It  is  here  that  the  passion 
for  the  finding  of  hidden  treasures  has  the  strongest  hold 
on  the  people ; — the  fact  that  the  French  Neutrals  buried 
much  of  their  treasure  at  theii*  extirpation,  being  a  pre- 
disposing cause. 

In  marked  contrast  are  the  works  of  Nature  as  disclosed 
in  this  corner  of  the  world.  In  the  proper  season,  one  may 
ride  for  fifty  miles  in  the  Anuapoiis  Valley  under  the  con- 
tinuous shade  of  apple  orchards  in  full  bloom.  No  level  er 
spot  is  there  in  the  wide  world,  no  happier  blending  of  wa- 
ter, plain  and  mountain,  than  at  Grand  Pre,  on  the  sjores 
of  the  Basin  of  Minas.  And  yet,  within  a  few  hours'  ride, 
are  the  wateis  wherein  the  current  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  the  floods  from  the  Eiver  and  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  im- 


1 


PREFACE 


15 


pinge  their  momentous  force  against  each  other;  where  the 
iceberg  rocks  iu  the  waves,  auJ  the  sea-fog  haugs  over  the 
deep,  imperiliiug  the  uavigatiou,  and  seudiug  many  a  weary 
mariner  to  his  long  home. 

The  tides,  which  here  surpass  those  of  any  other  quarter 
of  the  globe,  are  among  the  most  wonderful  features  of 
Nature's  exhibit.  Says  a  writer:  ''At  the  head  of  Cobe- 
quid  Bay,  the  flood-tide  is  preceded  by  an  immense  tidal 
wave,  or  *bore,'  which,  at  spring  tides,  is  sometimes  six 
feet  high.  At  low  water,  nearly  sixty  square  miles  of  saud, 
shingle  and  mud  flats  are  laid  bare;  tbe  flood  rises  more 
rapidly  than  the  water  can  advance,  and  the  result  is  the 
foiujation  of  a  splendid  wave  more  than  four  miles  long, 
which  rolls  over  the  flats  and  quicksands  in  a  sheet  of  foam, 
and  with  the  roar  of  thunder,  washirg  away,  or  burying  up 
everything  before  it  Vessels  lying  with  their  broadsides  to 
the  bore  are  rolled  over, — their  masts  are  broken,  and  they 
Eire  left  half  buried  in  the  shingle :  the  skill  of  the  pilot  is, 
however,  equal  to  this  danger,  and  accidents  seldom  occur." 

It  may  be  said,  that  few  places  offer  greater  inducements 
to  the  summer  tourist  or  to  the  sportsman,  than  do  the  seas 
and  mountains  of  this  Acadian  laud.  The  woods  are  full 
oi  game,  and  the  waters  abound  in  fish ;  one  may  traverse 
in  boats,  almost  evex'y  portion  of  the  country;  and  the  place 
bas  only  to  be  better  known  to  attract  the  thousands  of  rest- 
seekvirs  from  abroad, 

Iu  the  present  work  no  pretensions  are  made  to  a  full  and 
exhaustive  treatise  of  the  subject.  It  is  believed,  however, 
that  the  more  salient  points  have  been  touched  upon,  and 
sufficient  given  to  shed  light  on  a  subject  that  has  long  re- 
mained in  obscurity.  Though  the  scope  includes  the  entii'e 
period  succeeding  the  discovery  of  Acadia,  the  expulsion  of 
the  French  Neutrals  is  designedly  made  a  leading  feature  of 
the  volume.  In  this,  as  in  the  other  portions,  the  authoi 
bas  drawn  his  materials  from  the  must  reliable  sources. 


16 


ACADIA 


Haliburton,  a  standard  authority  iu  Nova  Scotia,  referring^ 
to  the  absence  fi*om  the  public  records  of  that  Province,  of 
the  official  documents  covering  the  period  of  the  forced  ex- 
tirpation of  these  people,  gives  it  as  his  belief  that  they 
have  been  purposely  abstracted,  with  the  view  to  cover  up 
the  traces  of  the  deed ;  and  he  wrote  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  Since  then  the  records  have  been  filled  up  by 
copies  obtained  from  the  state  paper  office  in  England,  and 
from  tliose  at  Quebec,  primanly  obtained  from  the  archives 
at  Paris.  Of  these  the  author  has  availed  himself  in  the 
present  compilation.  Extracts  are  given  originally  procured 
from  Wiiialow's  letter  book;  the  journals  of  the  Colonial 
Assemblies,  and  other  trustworthy  sources,  have  likewise 
been  freely  utihzed.  The  papers  of  the  French  Neutrals 
having  been  forcibly  taken  from  them,  they  cannot  be  heard 
in  their  own  behaif,  except  as  they  have  told  the  story  of 
their  sufferings  in  two  memorials,  one  to  the  King  of  Great 
Britain,  and  the  other  to  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly,  cop- 
ies of  which  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix  of  this  volume. 
The  reader  can  compare  the  declarations  therein  contained 
with  the  accounts  taken  from  English  sources  given  in 
the  body  of  the  work,  and  then,  in  the  light  of  all  these 
facts,  judge  for  himself  whether  the  despoiling  of  fifteen 
thousand  pastoral  people  of  their  farms  and  firesides,  and 
the  dispersion  of  most  of  them  in  indigence  among  a  peo- 
ple aliens  in  language  and  religion,  was  "a  justifiable  and 
necessary  measure." 


rPillLIMINARY   DISCOUnSE. 


To  the  lover  of  romance  as  well  as  to  the  student  of  ver- 
itable history,  no  quarter  of  the  world  is  more  rich  in  inter- 
est than  Acadia — a  land  which  has  been  poetically  immor- 
talized as  "  The  Land  of  Evangeline."  Whether  we  turn 
to  the  Diisty  era  of  the  early  "  Sea  Rovers  of  the  North," 
the  records  of  whose  voyages  seem  like  quaint,  legendai-y 
tales,  or  to  the  later  historical  epoch,  when  the  virgin  soil 
was  enriched  with  the  blood  of  so-called  civilized  nations  in 
their  eager  strife  for  its  possession ;  or  whether  we  contem- 
plate the  stern  and  pitiless  aspect  of  Nature  as  exhibited  in 
the  war  of  the  elements  raging  in  fierce  grandeur  about 
the  rock-bound  coasts,  or  survey  her  in  her  milder  moods  as 
displayed  in  sunny  seas  and  glowing  laudscapes, — in  all 
there  is  that  which  holds  the  student  spell-bound  to  the  sto- 
ry ol  this  enchanted  land. 

Previous  to  the  discoveries  of  Columbus,  the  country 
beyond  the  trackless  sea  was  a  fruitful  theme  of  visionary 
fipoculalion  and  traditionai*y  tale.  Plato's  imaginary  island 
of  Atlantis  opposite  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  was  by  many 
bciioved  to  actually  exist.  Much  was  said  and  written  of 
the  fabulous  Island  of  St.  Brandan,*  which  for  along  while 


*  Tlie  iiiliftbilftuts  of  the  Cannries  fancied  they  beheld  a  monntainonE 
ialuiid  l)it^^  far  to  the  westward,  visible  only  at  intervals  and  in  perfectly 
Rorenc  tvc  f»thcr.     They  sent  severaL  expediiions.   but  every  attempt  to 


'ir 


;i 


i   V 


n 

HI 


18 


ACADIA. 


haunted  thp  imaginations  of  the  people  of  the  Canarieg; 
and  even  the  speculative  "Island  of  Seven  Cities "f  was  giv- 
en a  place  on  the  charts  of  the  leai'ned  geographers  of  the 
time. 

That  the  Norse  mariners  visited  parts  of  Acadia  centuries 
befoie  the  era  of  Columbus'  discoveiies,  is  a  fact  well  aui  hen- 
ticiited.  Original  manuscripts  of  the  voyages  of  these  Sea- 
Vikings  have  been  carefully  preserved  in  Iceland.  They 
were  first  published  at  Copenhagen  in  1837,  with  a  Danish 
and  a  Latin  translation.  Within  the  whole  range  of  the  lit- 
erature ol  discovery  and  adventure,  no  writings  can  be 
found  that  bear  better  evidence  of  authenticity. 


reach  it  proved  fntile.  Still  so  many  had  testified  to  seeing  it,  and  so 
nearly  did  their  testimony  apree  as  to  its  form  and  position,  that  its  ex- 
istence was  believed  in,  and  it  was  put  down  on  their  maps.  Traditions 
were  told  of  some  tempest-tossed  mariners  having  at  one  time  landed  up- 
on the  island,  but  were  forced  to  return  to  their  ship  by  reason  of  a  "harsh 
wind  which  arose;"  in  an  instant  they  lost  sight  of  the  land,  and  could  not 
again  find  it,  nor  did  they  afterwai'ds  hear  of  the  two  sailors  that  had 
been  abandoned  in  the  woods.  On  another  occasion  it  was  said  a  vessel 
touched  at  this  mysterious  island,  and  anchored  in  a  beautiful  harbor  at 
the  mouth  of  a  mountain  ravine.  A  number  of  sailors  landed  and  wan- 
dered about  in  various  directions.  Seeing  night  approaching,  those  on 
board  signalled  for  their  return  to  the  ship;  scarcely  were  they  on  board 
when  a  whirlwind  came  down  the  ravine  with  such  violence  as  to  carry 
the  vessel  out  to  sea.     They  never  saw  more  of  this  inhospitable  island. 

t  A  popular  tradition  concerning  the  ocean,  in  which  seven  bishops  flee- 
ing from  Spain  at  the  time  of  the  Moorish  conquest,  landed  on  an  un- 
known island  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  burnt  their  ships  to  pre- 
vent the  assertion  of  their  followers,  and  abandoned  themselves  to  their 
fate.  Here  they  founded  seven  cities.  According  to  common  report 
some  sea-faring  men  presented  themselves  before  King  Henry,  of  Portugal, 
stating  they  had  landed  upon  this  island,  the  dust  of  which  they  found  to 
be  one-half  gold — hoping  to  secure  a  reward  for  their  intelUgeuce.  They 
were  ordered  to  return  immediately  and  procure  further  information,  but 
the  seamen,  fearing  their  falsehood  would  be  discovered,  made  their  eB« 
cape,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  them. 


PRELIMINART   DISCOUBSB 


19 


In  the  year  861,  Iceland  was  discovered  by  a  Norse  Rover 
named  Nadodd,  and  soon  became  a  place  of  great  interest; 
in  two  or  three  centuries  we  lind  its  people  bad  become  em- 
inent among  the  Norse  communities  for  their  intellectual 
culture,  and  for  their  daring  and  skill  in  navigation. 

"  Eirek  the  Red "  occupied  a  prominent  place  as  one  of 
the  eai'ly  mariuors.  The  Norse  narrative  introduces  Eirek's 
voyage  of  discovery  as  follows  :  '*  There  was  a  man  of  no- 
ble family  named  Thorwald.  He  and  his  son  Eirek,  sur- 
named  the  Red,  were  obliged  to  flee  from  Jadir  (in  the  south- 
west part  of  Norway),  because,  in  some  feud  which  arose, 
they  committed  a  homicide.  They  went  to  Iceland,  which 
at  that  time  was  colonized."  Thorwald  died  soon  after,  and 
the  restless  spirit  of  Eirek  at  length  involving  him  in  an- 
other feud  in  Iceland,  he  was  a  second  time  guilty  of  tak- 
ing the  life  of  a  fellow  being.  The  narrative  continues: 
*'  Having  been  condemned  by  the  court,  he  resolved  to  leave 
Iceland.  His  vessel  being  prepared,  and  everything  in 
readiness,  Eirek's  partisans  in  the  quarrel  accompanied  him 
some  distance.  He  told  them  he  was  going  in  search  of 
the  land  Gunniborn  had  seen  when  driven  by  a  storm  into 
the  Western  Ocean,  promising  to  return  if  his  search  proved 
successful.  Embarking  from  the  western  side  of  Iceland, 
Eirek  steered  boldly  for  the  west.  At  length  he  saw  land, 
and  called  the  place  Mldjokul.  Then  coasting  along  the 
shore  in  a  southerly  direction,  he  sought  a  place  more  suit- 
able for  settlement.  He  spent  the  winter  on  a  part  of  the 
coast  which  he  named  'Eaek's  Island.'  A  satisfactory  sit- 
uation for  his  colony  having  been  found,  he  remained  there 
two  yeai-s."  The  country  discovered  and  colonized  by 
Eirek  was  Greenland. 

Eirek  returned  to  Iceland,  and  as  a  result  of  his  repre- 
sentations of  the  newly  discovered  country,  "  twenty -five 
ships,"  filled  with  emigrants  and  stores,  returned  with  him 
to  Greenland.     This  happened,  says  the  ciironicle,  "fiiteen 


f 


ii  I 


i 


so 


ACAr'A 


KOBMAN  8HIP 


years  before  the  Christian  re- 
ligion waa  introduced  into  Ice- 
land," or  fifteen  years  previ- 
ous to  1000  A.  D.  Biarni,  a 
chief  man  anjong  these  colon- 
istp,  was  absent  in  Norway 
when  they  sailed  from  Iceland. 
On  his  return  he  decided  to 
follow  and  join  the  co'ony ; 
and  although  neither  he  nor 
his  companions  had  ever  seen  Greenland,  or  sailed  the 
Greenland  Sea,  he  boldly  embarked,  and  made  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  and  fearful  voyages  on  record.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  "ship"  of  thofe  early  times,  with 
its  qurint  propoitiois  and  *'  dragon  prow,"  was  so  unsea- 
worthy,  that,  in  this  day  of  advanced  nautical  skill,  it  would 
be  deemed  an  act  of  sheer  madness  to  essay  an  ocean  voy- 
age in  so  frail  a  vessel. 

On  leaving  Iceland  they  sailed  three  days  with  a  fair 
wind;  then  arose  a  storm  of  northeasterly  winds,  accompa- 
nied by  very  cloudy  thick  weather.  For  many  days  they 
were  driven  before  this  storm,  into  trackless 
and  unknown  waters.  At  length  the  weath- 
er cleared,  and  they  could  see  the  sky. — 
They  sailed  west  another  day,  and  saw  ]and> 
diflf(  rent  from  any  they  had  formerly  known, 
for  it  "was  not  very  mountainous."  Biarni 
said  this  could  not  be  Greenland.  They  put 
about  and  steered  in  a  northrasterly  direc- 
tion two  days  more.  Again  they  saw  Jand 
which  was  low  and  level.  Biarni  thought 
this  could  not  be  Greenland.  For  three 
more  days  they  sailed  in  the  same  direction, 
and  came  to  a  land  that  was  "  mountainous, 
and  covered  with  ice."    This  proved  to  be  an  island  around 


KOBSEMAN 


PREIJMINABY   DISOOUBSK 


31 


,.->i 


OLD  TC'.WSn 


-which  they  sailed.  Steering  north  they  sailed  four  days, 
and  av;ain  discovered  land,  which  proved  to  be  Greenland. 
They  were  on  the  southern  coast  near 
the  new  settlement  It  is  manifest 
that  the  first  laud  Biaini  saw  was 
Cape  Cod  ;*  the  next  was  the  north- 
ern part  of  Nova  Scotia ;  and  t  le 
isiaud  around  which  they  coasted 
was  Newfoundland.  This  voyage 
was  made  five  hundred  yc^ars  earlier 
than  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus. 

The  period  of  these  adventures  was 
during  the  dark  ages,  at  a  time  when 

ignorance  and  supei'stitioa  brooded  over  the  woi'ld  like  the 
demon  of  night.  But  little  was  known  among  the  nations 
of  Europe  of  the  voyages  of  the  Norsemen ;  and  that  little 
seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  "  dim,  traditionary  tales  of 
old  Sea-Kiiigs,"  and  only  served  to  deepen  a  sense  of  the 
mystery  of  the  great  unknown  beyond  the  sea. 

Centuries  passed  away.  Gradually  the  light  of  intelli- 
gence began  to  be  shed  abroad  among  the  benighted  na- 
tions. Slowly  but  surely  the  workl  was  being  prepared  for 
a  great  event  which  the  guiding  hand  of  Providence  was 
now  to  bring  about. 

On  the  4th  of  Ma'ch,  1493,  a  vessel  sought  shelter  in  the 
port  of  Lisbon.  Her  coming  was  unheralded;  her  seamen 
were  weary  and  weather-worn ;  her  sails  had  suffered  the 
strain  and  shock  of  fi('rce  tempests;  yet  that  frail,  leaky 
bark  was  the  bearer  of  tidings  that  were  to  work  great  so- 
cial and  political  changes  among  the  nations  of  the  earth 


•  These  early  Navigators  gave  the  country  they  hnti  discovered  the 
name  of  "Helluland."  They  are  supposed  to  hfive  erected  the  old  round 
tower  at  Newport  Certain  it  is  the  Indians  had  no  tradition  of  its  origin 
when  the  whites  first  canie  amons  them. 


i;  i' 


III 


i 


I 


I  lii 


I 


' 

il 

i 

U 

i. 

1 

Si  ACADIA 

It  was  tho  caravel  of  Columbus,  returned  txom  his  first  vojw 
age  of  discovery. 

The  triumphal  reception  of  Columbus  by  the  sovereigns 
under  whose  patronage  he  had  sailed,  and  the  agitation  pro- 
duced throughout  Europe  by  the  report  of  his  discoveries, 
are  facts  in  history  too  well  known  to  need  repetition  here. 
Learned  men,  appreciating  what  was  sure  to  follow,  ^'  ex- 
alted over  the  fact  they  were  living  in  an  age  marked  by 
such  an  event  as  the  discovery  of  a  New  World."  Kings 
and  Emperors,  anxious  to  extend  their  power,  or  to  add  to 
their  wealth,  became  eager  patrons  of  explorers ;  doling  ad- 
venturers, anxious  to  distinguish  themselves  by  some  im- 
portant discovery,  or  seeking  to  open  up  some  channel  of 
sudden  wealth,  undertook  expeditions  ibto  unknown  seas ; 
while  not  a  few,  assuming  a  more  religious  view  of  the  mat- 
ter, went  among  the  newJy  discovered  people  for  the  pur- 
pose of  converting  them  to  the  Christian  religion.  For  up- 
wards of  half  a  century  the  minds  of  kings  and  subjects 
were  occupied  with  this  all-absorbing  topic.  And  now  the 
"  vaunted  wisdom  of  antiquity  began  to  pale  as  the  light  of 
discovery  broke  in  upon  them,"  scattering  to  the  winds  their 
learned  theories  and  hypotheses  of  the  wide  waste  of  wa- 
ters. Says  Humboldt — "  The  fifteenth  century  forms  a 
transition  epoch,  belonging  at  once  to  the  middle  ages  and 
to  the  commencement  of  modern  times.  It  is  tiie  epoch  of 
the  greatest  discoveries  in  geographical  space ;  and  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Europe  it  doubled  the  works  of  creation, 
while  it  offered  to  the  intellrct  *:ew  and  powerful  incite- 
ments to  the  improvement  of  the  natural  sciences." 

Men  of  broken  fortunes,  and  restless  spiiits  of  every 
class,  could  now  find  employment  befitling  their  ambition. 
Not  since  the  crusades  had  an  event  been  so  opportune. — 
The  golden  lure  was  held  out  to  them,  and  many  clutched 
at  the  proli'ered  bait.  The  love  of  conquest  became  a  rul- 
ing pabsion : — Cortez,  a  soldier  of  infurior  rank,  suddenly 


»REUMISABT   DI8OO0B8B 


13 


found  himself  fired  with  an  ambition  which  required  the 
blnod  of  a  inillion  of  native  Mexicans  to  satisfy.  Surely  it 
wjis  an  unlucky  day  for  the  races  of  the  new  world  when  the 
eyp  of  Europeans  first  opened  upon  it. 

As  the  vast  wealth  and  resources  of  the  nowly-discoverod 
land  came  to  uo  better  known,  bitter  rivalries  sprang  up  l>e- 
twoen  the  European  powers  for  its  possession.  The  relig- 
ious dissensions  then  raging  throughout  Christendom  add- 
ed fuel  to  the  fires  of  national  discord  and  jealousy.  It  was 
uiuler  these  conditions  of  political  and  civil  comtuotion  that 
the  Acadia  of  American  History  had  its  birth  ;  and  as  it  not 
un  frequently  happens  in  njcdical  practice,  the  pain  is  expe- 
rie*  .'dd  in  one  pai't,  while  the  disease  that  causes  the  pain  is 
to  be  sought  for  elsewhere,  so  we  may  read,  in  the  suffer- 
ings of  hapless,  helpless  Acadia,  the  vaiied  changes  in  the 
political  phases  of  the  Old  World. 


Ill 


i 


s 


EARLY  EXPLORATIONS 


THE   CABOTS. 


A  few  years  subsequent  to  the  first  royage  of  Columbus, 
the  Cabot s  were  taking  a  prominent  part  in  nautical  achieve- 
ments. They  were  natives  of  Venice,  and  of  renowned  skill 
in  maritime  pursuits.  They  sailed  under  British  colors, 
and  were  duly  authorized,  as  their  commission  read,  "to 
discover  and  possess  the  isles,  regions,  and  provinces,  of 
the  heathen  and  infidels."  In  the  spring  of  1498,  the  ship 
Matthew,  in  company  with  three  or  four  smaller  vessels,  all 
displaying  the  proud  flag  of  England,  left  Bristol  and  steered 
westward.  They  bore  John  Cabot  and  his  son  Sebastian, 
who,  with  their  followers  were  essaying  the  jiassage  of  the 
North  Atlantic.  On  the  24th  of  June  they  discovered  the 
main  land  of  America,  which  they  named  Prima  Vista. — 
The  same  day  they  saw  an  island  opposite,  which  they  called 
St.  John,  from  the  day  of  discovery.  Here  they  found  the 
inhabitants  clothed  with  skins,  and  they  fought  with  darts, 
bows  and  arrows :  three  of  these  natives  they  carried  off  to 
England.  But  meagre  records  of  the  voyage  have  been 
handed  down,  yet  there  are  good  reasons  for  supxjosing  the 
lands  discovered  to  be  the  main  land  of  Labrador,  and  the 
island  of  Newfoundland.  They  describe  the  country  as 
sterile  and  uncultivated,  with  no  fruit.  White  bears,  and 
stags  of  unusual  hight,  were  numerous.  The  waters  were 
full  of  fish,  especially  of  the  kind  called  by  the  natives  bac- 
alkoSf  which  poetical  name  has  since  degenerated  into  sim- 


EARLY   EXPLORATIONS 


96 


pie  "cod."  Proceeding  northward  tbey  encountered  those 
terrojs  to  navigators  of  noithern  waters — icebergs.  Be- 
coming alarmed,  they  turne.l  helm,  and  coasted  southward 
as  fai-  as  Fiorida,  The  voyages  of  the  Cabots  gave  to  Great 
Britain  her  claim  to  the  New  World. 


GASPAR   DE    CORTEAL. 

Two  years  later  [15C0]  Gaspar  de  Corteal,  a  Portuguese 
navigator,  sailing  from  the  port  of  Lisbon,  touched  at  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  which  he  named  Terre  Verde.  He  sur- 
passed the  English  in  disregarding  the  rights  of  the  abo- 
rif,'ines — capturing  fifty-seven  of  them,  which  he  afterward 
sold  as  slaves  in  Europe.  The  country  from  whence  these 
unfortunates  were  taten  is  described  as  abounding  in  im- 
mense pines,  tit  for  masts,  which  would  prove  the  land 
could  not  have  been  far  to  the  noith.  It  was  thickly  peo- 
pled; the  natives  used  hatchets  and  arrowheads  of  stone; 
they  lived  in  rudely  constructed  huts,  were  elad  with  the 
skins  of  wild  animals,  and  were  a  well-made  and  robust 
race.  This  description  might  well  apply  to  the  Indians  of 
Acadia.  Encouraged  by  tlie  sut-cdss  attending  his  first  un- 
dertaking, Corteai  set  out  in  the  following  year  for  anoth- 
er cargo  of  timber  and  slaves.  But  neither  himself  nor  any 
of  his  crew  were  ever  heard  of  more.  His  brother  Michael 
de  Corteal  fitted  out  two  ships  and  went  in  search  of  him, 
a)id  he,  too,  shared  the  fate  of  his  relative.  "The  avenging 
spirit  overwhelmed  them  on  the  trackless  deep,  and  they 
were  never  permitted  to  again  see  the  shores  they  had  pol- 
luted with  the  curse  of  human  trafGic." 

VERAZZANI. 

Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  centuiy  elapsed  when  the  King  of 
France  determined  on  sending  an  expedition  to  discover 
new  worlds  for  him,  imitating  the  example  of  the  crowned 
heads  of  Englanil,  Spain,  and  Ji'ortugal,  who,  during  this 


ir 


I 


'il     i 


I  ■! 


I  li 


26 


ACADIA 


time,  had  been  adding  to  their  possessions  "by  right  of  dis- 
covery." Disrcgardful  of  the  authority  of  Pope  Alexander 
to  bestow  all  newly-discovmed  lands  on  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal, the  French  monarch  fitted  out  the  ship,  Dol2)fiin,  with 
a  crew  of  fifty  men  and  piovisions  for  eight  months,  and 
sent  it  out  in  command  of  Verazzani  on  the  17th  of  Janua- 
ry, 1524.  The  expedition  touched  at  North  Carolina,  sailed 
northward  as  far  as  the  50fch  degree  of  north  latitude — or 
that  of  Newi'oundland,-r— and  gave  to  the  country  its  third 
a^jpellaliou — "  New  France."  Verazzani  made  a  srbsequent 
voyage  from  v.hich  he  never  returned.  Of  his  fate  nothing 
Cv-itain  is  known;  but  there  is  an  old  French  tradition  to 
the  effect  that  he  landed  near  the  present  town  of  Cape  Bre- 
ton, an  the  island  of  that  name,  and  attempted  to  found  a 
fortified  settlement.  But  being  suddenly  attacked  and 
overpowered  by  the  Indians,  himself  and  his  entire  command 
were  put  to  death  in  a  cruel  manner.  Says  Bancroft — "Ve- 
razzani advanced  the  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  gave 
to  France  some  claim  to  an  extensive  territory  on  the  pre- 
text of  discovei-y." 

Previous  to  the  expedition  of  Verazzani,  France  appears 
to  have  taken  '.ittle  national  interest  in  the  New  World. — 
Hitherto  every  French  vessel  that  had  visited  America  came 
on  a  commercial  errand  only,  and  the  trade  of  that  people 
in  the  foreign  products  of  fish  and  peltries  was  considera- 
blt\  We  may  except  the  iii&t;ance  of  Baron  de  Lery,  who, 
in  1518,  attempted  to  found  a  settlement  under  French  pat- 
roiiage  in  Acadia.  The  Baron  was  a  man  of  courage  and 
lofty  aspirations :  with  a  company  of  colonists,  and  stores 
necessary  to  commence  life  in  a  new  country,  he  embarked 
in  the  enterprise ;  but  unfavorable  weather,  and  other  ad- 
verse incidents,  caused  the  project  to  miscarry. 

With  the  last  expedition  of  Verazzani,  l^ieuch  interest  in 
America  again  declined.     For  a  number  of  yeai's  that  war- 


EArL"    «iXPl.OKATIONS 


37 


hMTa^seJ  people  had  enough  to  occupy  their  attention  at 
home.  At  lengi.h  the  adviaers  of  the  French  King  urged 
upon  him  the  advautages  of  founding  a  colony  in  America, 
and  8  iggpsted  that  the  most  appropriate  place  to  colonize 
woukl  be  the  nearest  nortaeastern  region,  inasmuch  as  na- 
tive Basque  and  Norman  barks  had  for  twenty  years  fre- 
quented Acadiua  waters  in  quosL  of  tish.  An  expedition 
was  determined  on,  a  knowledge  of  whicn  coming  to  the 
Kings  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  those  potentates  entered  a 
protest  against  it  us  au  encroachment  on  their  territorial 
rights.  The  French  King  answered  sarcastically,  "I  should 
like  to  see  that  clause  in  Adam's  will  that  gives  to  theui 
alone  so  vast  au  inheritage ! "  The  grand  admiral  of  France 
gave  command  of  the  expedition  to  Jacques  Carlier,  of  iSt. 
Malo,  a  reputed  skillful  mariner  and  hardy  seaman. 

Cartier  sailed  from  St.  Malo,  a  seaport  of  Brittany,  in 
the  spring  of  1534,  with  two  vessels,  neitlier  of  wiiich  ex- 
ceeded sixty  tons  burden,  and  whose  united  crews  amount- 
ed to  but  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  meii.  During  tiiis 
his  first  voyage,  Cartier  made  no  impoiiant  discoveries. 
The  more  salient  points  of  the  Laurentian  Gaif  were  already 
well  known  to  his  countrymen,  who  habituaLy  fished  in 
these  waters  ;  but  he  was  the  first  to  carefully  examine  the 
"arid  and  desolate  sea-margin  of  Labrador."  He  came  up 
the  Newfoundland  coast,  and  entered  the  Gulf  of  St.  La\v^ 
rence  by  the  Strait  of  Bellisle. 

Skirting  along  the  western  coast  of  Newfoundland  as  far 
as  Cape  St.  George,  he  then  sailed  northwest,  and  on  the 
Both  of  June  came  in  sight  of  the  coast  of  Acadia.  Tiie  first 
land  seen  by  Cartier  is  now  known  as  Point  Escuminac. — 
Carlier  thus  records  his  impressions:  "AVe  went  that  day 
ashore  in  four  places  to  see  the  goodly  and  sweet-smelling 
trees  that  were  there.  We  found  them  to  be  cedaiss,  ewe- 
trees,  pines,  white  elms,  ashes,  willows,  with  many  isoiLs  of 
tiees  to  UB  unknown,  but  without  any  fruit.     The  grounds 


r^ 


¥ 


1     i 


88 


ACADIA 


where  no  wood  is  are  very  fair  and  all  full  of  peason,  white 
aud  red  goosebeiiies,  strawberries,  blackberries,  and  wild 
corn  like  unto  rye,  which  seemeth  to  have  been  sown  and 
plowed.  The  country  is  of  better  temperature  than  other 
that  can  be  seen,  and  very  hot.  There  are  ujauy  thrushes, 
stock-doves,  and  other  birds ;  in  short,  there  wauteth  noth« 
ing  but  good  harbors." 

He  says  of  Newfoundland  :  "  If  the  soil  were  as  good  a9 
the  harbors  are  it  were  a  great  commodity,  but  it  is  not  to 
be  called  New  Land,  but  stones  and  wild  crags,  and  a  place 
fit  for  wild  beasts,  for  in  all  the  North  Island  I  did  not  see 
a  cart  load  of  good  earth.  Yet  I  went  on  shore  in  many 
places.  In  short,  I  believe  this  is  the  laud  God  allotted  to 
Cain." 

Cartier  entered  a  spacious  basin  which  he  named  Bay  of 
Chaleurs,  on  account  of  the  extreme  heat  at  the  time. — 
Landing  on  its  coast  he  took  formal  possession  of  the  ter- 
ritory in  the  naiue  of  the  French  King  [Fran- 
cis I],  setting  up  a  cross  thirty  feet  high  and 
suspending  thereon  a  shield  bearing  the 
Jieur-de-lis,  and  an  inscription,  as  eml^lematic 
of  the  new  sovereignty  of  France  in  America. 
This  typical  act  of  incorporating  the  territory 
into  the  empire  of  France  was  ingeniously 
performed  so  as  to  appear  to  the  natives  as  a 
ABMs  OP  FKANCK  rellglous  ccremouy.  The  old  chief  seems  to 
have  had  his  suspicions  aroused  that  something  more  than 
worship  was  intended,  and  visited  the  ship  to  remonstrate 
with  Cartier.  He  was  assured  that  the  cross  was  erected 
merely  to  serve  as  a  landmark  to  guide  the  white  visitors 
to  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  on  their  next  voyage.  On 
leaving  the  shores  of  the  Gaspe,  as  this  land  was  called  by 
the  Indians,  Cartier  carried  oflf  two  sons  of  the  chief,  wljom 
he  decoyed  on  board.    As  the  season  was  now  far  advanced, 


'i 


EARLT   EXPLORATIONS 


29 


he  delermine.l  on  returning  to  France,  and  set  sail  in  time 
to  avoid  the  autumnal  storms  which  yearly  visit  the  coast. 

The  favf^able  report  given  by  Cai'tier  encouraged  the 
French  to  further  attempts^  accordingly  another  expedition 
was  fitted  up  and  placed  under  his  command.  Conforming 
to  the  prevailing  custom  of  the  day,  Cartier  repaired  with 
bi:i  men  in  solemn  procession  to  the  calhedral  of  St.  Malo, 
whej  0  the  blessing  of  Heaven  was  evoked  in  aid  of  their  en- 
terprise. This  religious  service  concluded,  and  the  fare- 
wells spoken,  for  hia  crews  were  mainly  composed  of  the 
husbands  and  sons  of  St.  Mnlo,  they  repaired  to  the  ships. 
The  squadron,  consisting  of  three  vessels,  having  on  board 
11 J  hands  and  provisions  for  tnree  months,  departed  with  a 
favoring  breeze  from  the  port  of  St.  Malo  in  May,  1535. 
(':vtier,  as  Captain  General,  hoisted  his  pennant  on  the  Le 
Oraw'e  Ilertidne,  a  vessel  of  little  moi'e  than  100  tons  bur- 
don.  Several  persons  of  gentle  blood  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition as  volunteers.  Unfavorable  weather  was  soon  ex- 
perienced ;  the  passage  jiroved  tedious,  and  adverse  winds 
separated  the  vessels.  Cartier  had  provided  for  this  emer- 
gency by  appointing  a  rendezvous  on  an  island  between 
Labrador  and  Newfoundland,  which  they  all  at  length 
reached  safely. 

After  a  brief  season  of  rest,  they  put  to  sea.  Sailing 
about  among  the  numei'ous  islands,  on  St.  Lawrence  day 
they  "entered  the  bay  forming  the  embouchure  of  the  no- 
ble river  now  bearing  that  naaie."  This  stream  for  a  por- 
tion of  its  course  at  the  mouth,  has  a  wild  and  saddening 
aspect.  The  numerous  rocky  points  obstructing  its  course, 
the  dense  fogs,  the  furious  blasts  that  ply  over  its  bosom, 
the  eddying  and  whirling  of  the  tides  among  the  numer- 
ous islets,  are  well  calculated  to  appal  the  spirit  of  the  voy- 
ageur.  Passing  up  the  river,  the  adventurers  entered  the 
deep  and  gloomy  Saguenay,*  but  were  prevented  from  ex- 


*  The  Sagueuuy  is  uot  properly  a  river.     It  is  a  tremendous  chasiq. 


80 


ACADIA 


ploring  it  by  the  lateness  of  the  season.    Early  in  Sepfem 
ber  they  reached  an  island  abounding  in  hazel  bushes,  to 
which  in  consequence  they  gave  the  name  Isle  ctux  Cou- 
dres.     The  river,  "so  vast  and  sombi'e  in  its  lower  expanse, 
DOW  became  a  graceful  and  silvery  stream." 

Cartier  began  to  look  about  him  for  a  good  harbor  in 
which  to  \.  =iss  the  winter,  and  decided  upon  one  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  now  known  ai  the  St.  Charles.  Close  at  hand 
was  the  Huron  town  of  Stadacona.  This  Indian  village 
was  situated  on  a  hjg  j  bluff  which  projected  far  into  the 
river,  and  so  narrowed  its  passage  that  it  was  forced  into  a 
rapid  current.  To  this  passage  the  Indians  had  given  the 
name  of  Kepec,  which  name,  slightly  modified,  has  since 
been  bestowed  on  a  more  pretentious  modern  city  that  has 
sprung  up  on  the  site  of  the  Indian  town,  a  city  that  has 
become  iliustrious  in  the  history  of  the  American  Continent. 

"  Quebec  needs  not  the  gilding  of  roma-  ^e  to  invest  it 
with  interest.  The  rock  upon  which  it  stands  will  not  be 
more  enduring  than  the  fame  of  the  achievements  that  have 
been  there  enacted.  Where  stood  the  fragile  huts  of  the 
simple  Algonquins,  there  have  arisen  parapeted  walls,  bat- 


cleft  for  sixty  miles  through  the  heart  of  a  mountain  wilderness.  Every 
tiling  is  hard,  naked,  steru,  silent.  Dark  gray  eliffa  rise  from  the  pitch- 
black  water;  lii-s  of  gloomy  green  are  rooted  in  their  crevices  and  frin^'e 
their  summits;  loftier  ranges  of  a  dull  indigo  hue  show  themselves  in  tiie 
background,  and  over  all  bends  a  pale,  northern  sky.  The  water  beneaiJi 
us  was  black  as  night,  and  the  only  life  in  all  that  savngc  solitude  wjw, 
now  and  then,  the  back  of  a  white  porpoise,  in  some  of  the  deeper  coves. 
The  river  is  a  reproduction  of  the  fiords  of  the  Norwegiiin  coast. 

(Uayard  Taylor.) 
Sunlight  and  clear  sky  are  out  of  place  over  its  black  waters.  Any- 
thing which  recalls  the  life  and  suide  of  nature  is  not  in  unison  with  the 
huge,  naked  cliffs,  raw,  cold  and  silent  as  the  tombs.  It  is  with  a  sense 
of  relief  that  the  tourist  emerges  from  its  sullen  gloom,  and  look  back 
upon  it  as  a  kind  of  vault,— Nature's  sarcophagus,  where  life  or  sound 
eeeiuB  never  to  have  entered.     (Louduu  Times.) 


.  I    ■ifi' 


■ABLT   EZPLOBATIONS 


81 


Wements  and  fortifications, — emblems  of  militai'y  prowess. 
For  a  century  and  a  half  this  was  the  seat  of  the  capital  of 
the  French  Empire  in  America,  whose  authority  extended 
from  the  stern  and  rocky  coasts  of  Labrador  to  the«delta  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  Its  name  h>iis  been  oiiiinous  of 
bloodshed ;  and  it  has  successively  been  the  scene  of  tri- 
umphs which  illuminated  every  city  in  the  great  nations  of 
United  States,  Great  Britain  and  France.  From  it  bloody 
edicts  went  forth  which  gave  over  the  border  settlements 
of  New  England  into  the  hands  of  the  merciless  savage,  and 
his  still  more  merciless  white-coadjutor,  and  which  «hi  ouded 
her  villages  in  mourning.  On  this  barren  rock  was  achieved 
the  famous  victory  which  gave  the  vast  territory  of  Cauadaf 
to  the  Bi'itish  crown." 

Cartier  still  pushed  on,  impatient  to  reach  Hochelaga,  the 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Montreal.  He  found  there  an  In- 
dian town  of  about  fifty  wooden  dwellings,  begirt  with  a 
triple  enclosure  of  a  circular  form,  and  palisaded.  He  re- 
quested to  be  taken  to  a  mountain  top  a  mile  distant ;  en- 
chanted with  the  view  from  this  lofty  peak,  he  gave  to  the 
hill  itself  the  name  Mount  Royal, — words  which  have  since 
been  modified  into  MontreaJ,  and  become  the  appellation 
of  the  fair  city  on  its  southern  declivity.  The  squadron  re- 
turned down  the  river  and  occupied  the  place  selected  for 
winter  quarters.  Scurvy  broke  out  among  the  company ; 
the  cold  became  inteuse,  and  increased  day  by  day ;  out  of 
more  than  one  hundred  men  composing  the  three  vessels' 
crews,  for  some  time  not  more  than  three  or  four  men  were 
free  from  disease.  Too  weak  to  open  a  grave  for  the  dead 
the  survivors  yet  able  to  crawl  about  deposited  the  bodies 
under  the  snow.  At  length,  after  twenty-five  of  their  num- 
ber had  perished,  and  when  most  of  the  others  were  ap^jar- 


»  s 


fThe  natives  iutiinated  to  Cnrtier  of  a  collection  of  wigwams  further 
up  streaiu  which  wfts  called  Kauuata,  from  which  word  the  country  prob- 
,  ably  derived  itd  uame. 


I 


1 

i    :.  1 

1 

82 


ACADTA 


ently  at  death's  door,  a  native  told  them  of  a  remedy  whiclfi 
was  resorted  to  with  the  effect  of  curing  every  ailing  French- 
man within  a  few  days.  When  spring  returned,  Cartier  set 
Bail  for  France,  signalizing  his  leave-taking  by  an  act  oi 
treachery.  Inviting  the  King  and  three  or  four  of  the  prin- 
cipal chiefs  on  board,  he  imprisoned  them  and  carried  thenk 
to  France.  The  lamentations  of  the  Indians  were  of  no 
avail,  and  none  of  the  expatriated  savages  ever  saw  their 
native  soil  again. 

While  he  was  still  at  Quebec  a  number  of  London  mer 
chants  sent  out  two  vessesls  on  a  trading  voyage  to  the 
coast  of  America.  They  spent  some  time  in  Acadian  wateis, 
but  found  the  natives  so  shy  that  they  w  ere  unable  to  trade 
with  them.  Coming  short  of  provisions,  they  for  a  t>rae 
subsisted  on  herbs  and  roots  j  at  last  they  were  reduced  to 
the  extremity  of  cas'iing  lots  to  see  who  should  die  to  afford 
sustenance  for  the  remainder.  At  this  critical  moment  a 
French  vessel  appeared,  laden  with  provisions.  This  they 
immediately  seized,  and  appropriating  its  cargo,  thus  pro- 
vided for  their  wants.  France  and  England  being  then  at 
peace,  the  Frenchmen  complained  of  the  outrage  to  the  Eng- 
lish sovereign,  Ilenry  VIII.  The  King,  on  learning  the 
great  straits  to  which  his  countrymen  had  been  reduced, 
forgave  them  the  offense,  and  generously  compensated  the 
Frenchmen  out  of  nis  own  private  purse.  The  failure  of 
Cartier  to  discover  gold  (that  great  desideratum),  and  the 
Bufferings  his  men  had  undergone,  together  with  the  fo- 
ment in  which  he  found  his  native  country  on  account  of 
religious  dissensions,  caused  the  project  of  colonizing  the 
new  world  to  be  temporarily  abandoned.  The  very  exist- 
ence of  Canada  seems  to  have  been  ignored. 

Not  until  the  year  1541  was  public  attention  again  turned 
toward  Acadia.  The  anticipated  profits  of  the  traffic  in  pel- 
try and  the  fisheries  were  sufficient  to  induce  many  to  brave 
the  dangers  of  the  deep  and  the  rigors  of  a  northern  winter; 


¥ 


BARLT   BXPLOBATIOKS 


88 


accordingly  in  that  year  another  expedition  was  prepared 
by  King  Francis,  who  bestowed  the  chief  command  on  Ro- 
berval,  making  him  his  lieutenant  and  viceroy  in  Canada. 
Gartier  was  appointed  Captain- General  of  the  fleet.  The 
latter  without  waiting  for  hie  superior  who  was  detained, 
set  out  with  five  ships  early  in  the  summer  of  1541 ;  ascend- 
ing the  St.  Lawrence  he  cast  anchor  Ai,  Quebec  which  he 
had  left  five  years  previously.  Notwithstanding  his  act  of 
treachery  toward  the  natives,  he  was  allowed  to  remain  in 
peace  through  the  winter;  but  in  the  spring,  their  man- 
ner being  changed,  he  knew  they  only  waited  an  oppor- 
tunity to  attack  him,  and  he  embaiked  his  colonists  to  re- 
turn home.  He  set  sail  for  France  at  the  same  time  Rober- 
val  was  leaving  there  with  three  ships,  with  two  hundred 
colonists  on  board.  Boberval  had  been  prevented  from 
joining  Cartier  the  yeai'  before.  The  two  squadrons  met  at 
St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.  Cai'tier  >\'as  commanded  by  bis 
superior  to  return  with  him  to  Canada:  but  he,  having 
had  enough  of  Canada  experience,  weighed  anchor  under 
cover  of  night  and  departed  for  France.  Roberval  proceed- 
ed to  Can^a,  took  possession  of  Cartier's  forts,  and  there 
spent  the  winter,  having  first  dispatched  two  vessels  to 
France,  to  inform  the  King  of  his  arrival,  and  requesting 
that  provisions  be  sent  him  the  next  year.  The  scurvy 
broke  out,  and  not  having  the  remedy  used  by  Cartier,  fifty 
of  the  colonists  died  before  spring. 

The  chronicle  informs  us,  that  during  the  winter  "one 
man  was  hanged  for  theft,  several  others  were  put  in  irons, 
and  many  were  whipped,  by  which  means  they  lived  in  qui- 
et." The  next  spring  Roberval  made  an  exploration  into 
the  interior,  during  which  one  of  his  vessels  sunk  and  eight 
of  his  men  were  drowned.  During  the  summer  he  return- 
ed to  France  with  what  remained  of  his  colony.  In  1549 
Boberval  organized  another  expedition,  and  again  set  sail 
for  Canada,  accompanied  by  his  brother  A.chille  and  a  band 


f 


ifji  ('! 

i :  1 '' 


M 


AOAOU 


of  brave  adventurers.  Their  fate  is  one  of  the  secrets  of 
the  sea.  Canada  had  reason  to  lament  the  event,  for  the 
loas  of  that  expedition  retarded  the  settlement  of  the  ooun< 
try  for  more  than  half  a  century. 


!    ■! 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^S^ 

BnP.,\f\  ^ 

#ir*' 

li  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^'  =="'' 

i  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^'^^'^ 

-■^^^^^■l 

i^^^^l 

M ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

■■ 

1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

ilHHHIHH^HHHI 

ATTEMPTS  AT  COLONIZATION. 


For  a  period  of  about  forty  years  succeeding  the  ill- 
starred  expedition  of  Boberval,  the  colonization  of  Acadia 
was  not  attempted.  This  period  was  fully  occupied  by  the 
vai'ious  European  powers  in  conflicts  with  each  other,  and 
in  the  more  Hanguinary  domestic  wars  of  religion. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  there  was  no  intercourse  during 
tiiis  period  between  the  old  world  and  the  new.  The  Nor- 
mans, the  Basques,  the  Bretons  and  others,  "continued  to 
fish  for  cod,  and  join  in  the  pursuit  of  whales  that  frequent- 
ed the  embouchure  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  neighbor- 
ing waters."  In  1578,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  French 
vessels  repaired  to  Newfoundland  alone,  in  addition  to  the 
vessels  of  other  nationalities.  These  hardy  fishermen  were 
continually  widening  the  limits  of  navigation.  Another  im- 
portant branch  of  industry,  the  traffic  in  peltries,  began  to 
grow  up,  and  proved  to  be  nearly  as  profitable  as  the  deep- 
sea  fishing.  Their  vessels  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
dotted  the  picturesque  rivers  and  bays  of  Acadia.  But 
these  expeditions  were  planned  and  executed  by  private  en- 
terprise, and  therefore  possessed  none  of  the  interest  and 
importance  of  national  ventures. 

England  was  the  first  to  break  this  period  of  inaction. 
She  came  late  into  the  field,  yet  it  was  her  province,  in  the 
end,  to  eclipse  all  others  in  tne  race  for  territory  in  the  new 
world.    In    1683,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  brother  of   Sir 


If 


91 


AOAOU 


Walter  Raleiph,  set  out  to  found  a  colony  ander  British 
patronage,  with  a  fleet  of  five  vessels.  Two  hundred  and 
sixty  men  accoiiiptuiied  the  expedition,  including  many  car- 
penters, sbipwriglits,  masons  and  blacksmiths.  Nothing 
seems  to  have  been  omitted  that  was  thought  necessary  to 
the  success  of  tlie  enterprise. 

The  little  fleet  had  been  but  two  days  at  sea  when  the 
largest  vessel  turned  back  on  account  of  a  contagious  dis- 
ease which  had  brolcen  out  among  its  crew.*  After  a  foggy 
and  disagi'eeablc  passage,  tlio  remainder  o/  th-?  fleet  reached 
Newfoundland  in  sai'ety  toward  the  close  of  July.  The  first 
sight  of  this  desolato  coast, — a  bleak  stretch  of  lofty  rock 
loouiing  through  a  dense  fog — was  disheartening  to  the 
storm-tossed  mmitiors.  They  soou  re:iched  the  haibor  of 
St.  John,  wJxere  they  were  churmei"!  with  the  fresh  green 
foliage,  bright  flowcr.s,  and  nn  abiindaucc  of  berry-beaiing 
bushes.  Hero  tJiey  found  thirty-sis  ships  of  vaiious  na- 
tions, with  who)n  they  exchanged  civilities.  Gilbert  at  once 
lauded  and  took  fonnal  possossion  in  the  name  of  the 
Queen,  amid  a  salvo  of  t)rd)iauco  from  the  shipping  in  the 
harbor.  The  suninier  was  spent  iu  examining  the  creeks 
Rnd  bays,  noting  the  soundings,  and  sui-veving  the  coasts 
at  grent  risk  of  destruction.  Evidences  of  rich  mineral  de- 
posits wore  found,  v/luch  eontributefl  much  to  tae  satisfac- 
tion of  the  crew.  One  night,  toward  the  close  of  August, 
there  were  signs  of  an  approaching  storm.  It  was  after- 
wai'd  romenibered,  that  "  like  the  swan  that  singeth  before 
her  death,  they  in  the  Delight  continued  in  the  sounding 
of  drums  and  trumpets  and  tifes,  also  the  winding  of  cor. 
nets  and  hautboys,  and  in  the  end  of  their  jolhty,  left  with 
the  battoll.  and  the  ringirjg  of  doleful  bells."  Soon  after, 
the  storm  broke  upon  then  The  JJelight,  the  largest  of 
the  vessels,  struck  and  w';nt  down  among  the  breakers  oflf 


I  I 


*  tk>me  say  it  was  a  case  of  desertion. 


ATTBMfTS  AT  COLONIZATION 


89 


Cape  Breton,  in  full  view  of  the  others,  who  were  unable  to 
rentier  any  help.  A  large  store  of  provisions,  and  Gilbert's 
papers,  were  lost  The  Golden  Hind  and  the  /Squirrel  nar- 
rowly  escaped,  and  were  now  left  alone.  The  weather  con- 
tinued boihterouM:  the  rigors  uf  wii;ter  had  set  in  early; 
provisions  run  short;  and  Gilbert  found  himself  with  no  al- 
ternative but  to  abandon  his  explorations  and  return  to 
England.  But  he  spoke  hopefully  of  future  expeditions  to 
Newfoundland,  and  did  his  best  to  cheer  the  drooping  spu*- 
its  of  his  men.  Gilbert  shifted  his  flag  to  the  /Squirrel,  a 
mere  boat  of  ten  tons  burden,  against  the  entreaties  of 
those  in  the  other  vessel.  Shortly  after,  the  sky  became 
dark  and  threatening.  The  sailors  declared  they  heard 
stiange  voices  in  the  air,  and  beheld  fearful  shapes  flitting 
around  the  ships.  When  in  Mid-Atlantic  a  severe  gale 
arose,  and  destruction  appeared  inevitable.  The  /Squirrel 
labored  heavily,  and  several  times  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
9th  September,  was  near  cast  away.  Gilbert,  sitting  abaft 
with  a  book  in  his  hand,  as  often  as  the  Golden  Flind  came 
within  healing,  cried  out — "  We  are  as  near  Heaven  by  sea 
as  by  land !  "  At  midnight  the  lights  of  the  Squirrel  went 
out: — the  elements  had  swallowed  up  both  her  and  her 
hapless  crew.  The  Golden  Hind  survived  the  storm,  and 
bure  the  tidings  of  the  disastrous  fate  of  the  expedition  to 
England. 

At  leiigth,  France  having  obtained  a  respite  from  her  ex- 
haustive wars,  and  her  King  [Henry  IV]  firmly  established 
on  his  throne,  the  spirit  of  adventure  began  to  revive,  and 
attention  was  again  directed  to  the  New  World.  The 
strong  arm  of  the  government  was  no  doubt  called  in  requi- 
sition the  sooner  on  account  of  difficulties  between  rival 
traders,  who  carried  their  animosities  so  far  as  to  burn  each 
other's  bai'ges  or  coasting  vessels.  The  nephews  of  Car- 
tier,  believing  that  they  were  entitled  to  some  consideration 
on  account  of  the  services  of  their  illustrious  relative,  asked 


^1 


vW 


i ' 


I  't: 


88 


ACADIA 


for  a  renewal  of  the  privilege  accorded  to  him.  Letters 
patent  were  granted  them  in  1588 ;  but  as  soon  as  the  mer- 
chants of  St.  Malo  were  apprised  of  this,  which  amounted 
to  a  prohibition  on  all  other  traders,  they  lodged  an  appeal 
before  the  privy  council,  and  obtained  a  revocation  of  the 
grant.  This  did  not  serve  their  purpose,  however,  for  a 
third  competition  arose,  in  the  person  of  the  Marquis  de  La 
Boche,  who  obtained  a  royal  confirmation  of  himself  as 
"lieutenant-general,"  or  viceroy  of  Canada,  Acadia  and  the 
lands  adjoining.  The  Marquis  was  authorized  to  impress 
any  ships  or  any  mariner  in  the  ports  of  France,  that  he 
might  think  needful  for  his  expedition :  he  was  empowered 
to  levy  troops,  declare  war,  build  towns,  promulgate  laws 
and  execute  them,  to  concede  lands  with  feudal  privileges, 
and  regulate  colonial  trade  at  discretion.  No  trader,  there- 
fore, dare  set  up  against  this  monopoly. 

La  Roche  set  sail  in  that  year  taking  with  him  forty- 
eight  convicts  from  the  French  prisons.  Fearing  that  his 
people  might  desert  him,  he  landed  them  on  Sable  Island, 
a  barren  sand-bank,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  to  the 
south  and  east  of  Nova  Scotia,  while  he  went  to  find  a  suit- 
able place  for  a  settlement.  He  visited  Acadia  and  was  re- 
turning for  his  colonists  when  he  was  caught  in  a  tempest, 
and  was  driven  before  it,  in  ten  or  twelve  days'  time,  to  the 
French  coast.  Scarcely  had  he  set  his  foot  in  France  when 
he  was  thrown  into  prison,  and  not  until  five  years  after- 
ward was  he  able  to  apprise  the  King  of  the  result  ot  his 
voyage.  King  Henry,  compassionating  the  condition  oi  the 
unfortunates  on  Sable  Island,  dispatched  the  pilot  of  La 
Roche  to  learn  their  fate.  That  island  which  is  of  crescent- 
like configuration,  arid  and  of  rude  aspect,  bears  no  trees 
nor  fruit;  its  only  vegetation  is  sea-matweed,  growing 
around  a  lake  in  the  centre,  and  in  places  along  the  shore. 
When  the  pilot  arrived  he  found  their  condition  truly  de- 
plorable.    Of  the  whole  band,  forty-eight  in  numbei*,  only 


*!ii 


ATTFMfrS  AT  COLOKIZATIOW 


39 


twelve  remained.  Left  to  their  own  discretion  thay  became 
utterly  lawless ;  evil  passions  being  in  the  ascendant,  each 
man's  hand  was  turned  against  his  neighbor,  and  many  were 
horribly  murdered.  Ill-supplied  bodily  wants  will  tame  the 
fiercest  passions ;  and  the  surviving  few  had  latterly  led  a 
more  tranquil  life.  A  vessel  had  been  wrecked  on  the 
breaker3  abounding  on  the  shores  of  the  desolate  isle ;  of 
tjje  wood  that  had  driven  ashore  they  had  constructed  huts. 
Theii*  food  had  consisted  chiefly  of  the  flesh  of  a  few  do- 
mestic animals  which  they  had  found  on  the  island,  of  a 
species  that  had  probably  been  left  there  by  Baron  de  Leiy 
mora  than  eighty  years  before.  Their  clothing  was  com- 
posed of  the  skins  of  seals  they  had  captured.  The  Kin^ 
desired  to  have  them  presented  before  him  accoutred  just 
as  they  had  been  found.  Their  hair  and  beard  was  in  wild 
disorder,  and  their  countenances  had  assumed  an  expres- 
sion unlike  that  of  civilized  man.  The  King  so  cpiiuuis- 
erated  their  condition  that  he  gave  ea;;h  dfty  crowns,  and 
promised  oblivion  to  p,ll  the  evil  deeds  they  had  committed 
afo'  etima  La  Eoche,  who  had  embarked  his  whole  fortune 
in  the  enterprise,  lost  the  wliole  of  it  in  succescliiifj'  misfor- 
tune's through  its  inbfci  umeutality,  and  died  of  a  brokea 
heait. 


If 


f! 


\  m 


!i  i 
i[  ■ 


!      J 


!   I! 


HIP 
••I'll 


\  1! 


(Ml 


PERMANENT  SETTLEMENT, 


We  are  now  arrived  at  a  period  we  may  desi^ate  as  tBe 
permprjent  colonization  of  Acadia.  Settlements  had  been 
establislied  in  Florida  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
blood  liad  already  been  shed  for  possession  of  that  territo- 
rv ;  Holland  had  founded  the  New  Netherlands ;  England 
had  established  a  foothold  in  Jainestov/n  ;  France  had  di" 
rected  her  attention  toward  Canada  and  Acadia;  hi  a 
word,  it  seemed  that  every  nation  in  Europe  was  reaily 
to  cross  swords  with  her  neighbor  over  the  division  of  ter- 
ritoi'y  in  America. 

Pont-Grave,  a  rich  merchant  of  St.  Malo,  formed  a  plan 
of  securing  a  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  in  Acadia.  His  first 
step  was  to  obtain  a  royal  grant  of  all  the  powers  and  priv- 
ileges of  La  Roche ;  the  next,  to  cause  a  trading  society  to 
be  foi'med  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Rouen,  Under  their 
patronage  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  and  sent  to  America 
in  command  of  Samuel  Champlain.  "With  three  barks  of 
twelve  to  fifteen  tons  burden,  that  navigator  set  sail  in  1603, 
p  ad  safely  arrived  in  Acadian  waters.  The  King  was  so 
♦veil  pleased  with  the  account  Champlain  gave  of  the  voy- 
age on  his  return  that  he  promised  royal  aid 

Another  expei!iii;)n  was  determined  on,  and  four  ships 
were  manned  and  victualled  for  the  enterpi'ise.  The  chief 
command  was  given  to  De  Monts,  a  placeman  at  the  French 
court,  and  distinguished  as  ever  zealous  for  the  honor  of 
his  country.     Both  Huguenots  and  Catholics  were  to  ac- 


'W: 


PERUAMSNT   SBTTLEUENT 


41 


t* 


company  the  Bhips,  the  former  being  allowed  full  freedom 
in  their  religious  worship,  but  were  to  take  no  part  in  na- 
tive proselyting, — the  privilege  of  converting  the  heathen 
being  exclusively  reserved  to  the  Catholic  priests.  Two  of 
the  vessels  were  to  commence  the  traffic  for  the  company  at 
Tadousac,  thence  to  range  the  whole  seaboard  of  New 
France,  and  seize  all  vessels  trading  in  violation  of  the  roy- 
al prohibition.  The  two  remaining  vessels,  having  on  boai'd 
a  few  emigrants,  were  to  seek  some  favorable  locality  and 
form  a  settlement. 

De  Monts  sailed  from  Havre-de- Grace  in  March,  1604, 
and  stood  for  Acadia,  which  he  preferred  to  Canada  on  ac- 
count of  its  milder  climate,  the  variety  of  its  sea-fish,  the 
abundance  of  harbors  accessible  at  all  times  of  the  year, 
ani  the  friendly  character  of  the  natives.  De  Monts  came 
upon  the  coast  near  La  Heve,  now  Halifax.  In  the  lirst 
harbor  he  entered  he  seized  and  confiscated  a  vessel  which 
he  found  violating  his  monopoly,  perpetuating  the  memory 
of  the  event  by  naming  the  port  after  the  master  of  the  cap- 
tured vessel — Port  Rossignol.  Cruising  westward,  he  en- 
tered another  harbor  which  he  named  Port  Mouton  in  hon- 
or of  another  victim — that  of  an  unfortunate  sheep  which 
fell  overboard.  De  Monts,  becoming  alarmed  at  the  delay 
of  the  vessel  that  was  to  bring  out  provisions  for  the  win- 
ter, sent  out  exploring  parties  along  the  coast ;  the  ship 
was  happily  discovered  near  Canso,  and  her  stores  brought 
to  him  by  aid  of  the  Indians ;  he  then  ordered  h^.  saptain 
to  proceed  to  Tadou::ac  in  aid  of  the  colony  there. 

De  Monts  continued  to  coast  to  the  westward  around  Cape 
SiiUe,  and  entered  the  Bay  of  Fundy*  which  he  called,  "la 
Bale  Franc,>aise."  He  next  entered  St.  Mary's  Bay;  finding 
it  a  pleasant  country,  he  advanced  and  sent  out  exploring 
^artien.     On  board  ship  was  a  priest  named  Aubrey,  who 


'Foud  de  U  Bale  uu  old  French  maps. 

c 


111  ! 


m 


•ti 


ACADIA 


went  on  shore  with  the  company  as  was  his  custom.  When 
about  to  return  to  the  ship,  he  could  not  be  found;  they 
fired  guns  to  attract  his  attention,  but  were  forced  to  return 
without  him.  Cannons  were  fired  from  the  vessel  to  guide 
him  in  case  he  were  near,  and  for  four  days  they  searched 
the  woods  without  avail.  Then  a  suspicion  was  aroused  in 
the  minds  of  the  friends  of  the  missing  man,  that  something 
was  wrong.  One  of  the  party  in  company  with  Aubrey  was 
A  Protestant,  and  their  voices  had  been  heard  in  high  dis- 
pute on  religious  matters  while  in  the  woods,  and  it  was 
feared  violence  had  been  done  him.  To  the  credit  of  the 
com  I  ony  be  it  said,  no  action  was  taken  against  the  suspect- 
ed p.;  ■.•■'  '  "d  with  sad  hearts  they  sailed  out  of  St.  Mary's 
Bay.     I.  ig  along  the  coast  they  discovered   a  naiTow 

channel  it.  'nginto  a  capacious  basin,  around  which  were 
modest  slopes  cleft  with  deep  water-courses,  and  bordered 
with  verdant  meadows.  This  was  Annapolis  Basin.  The  spa- 
ciousness and  security  of  the  harbor  caused  them  to  name 
it  Port  Royal.  A  large  stream  flowed  into  the  basin  from 
the  eastward,  up  which  they  sailed  fifteen  leagues,  as  far  as 
the  boats  would  go.  and  named  it  River  de  I'Esquille,  from 
a  fish  of  tliat  name  with  which  it  abounded. 

M.  de  Poutrincourt,  a  gentleman  of  Picardies  who  accom- 
panied the  expedition,  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  beauty 
of  Port  J^oyal  and  its  surroundings,  that  he  obtained  a 
grant  of  it  from  De  Monts,  which  grant  was  afterward  con- 
firmed by  the  King. 

Leaving  Port  Royal,  they  pursued  their  way  further  to 
the  east.  Soon  coming  in  sight  of  Cap©  Chignecto,  they 
called  it  the  "Cape  of  Two  Bays,"  because  it  separated 
Chignecto  Bay  from  the  Basin  of  Minas.  To  the  lofty 
island  which  lies  off  the  cape  they  gave  tho  natne  of  Islai.(.l 
Ilaaty  on  account  of  its  great  elevation.  They  landed  on 
it/b  solitary  beach,  which  to  this  clay  is  seldom  profened  by 
the  foot  of  njan,  and   Ciimbed  to  its  summit,  where  liXMf 


y. 


!lll 


PERMANJiNT    SETTLEMENT 


43 


fo\ind  a  spring  of  water.  They  next  sai'ed  eastward  until 
thfc-y  discovered  the  river  by  which  the  Indians  reached  the 
Basil)  of  Miuas  from  Tracadie,  Miraraichi,  and  other  parts 
of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Chaaiplain  seems  unfavora- 
bly impressed  with  the  forbidding  aspect  of  the  rock-bound 
coasts. 

Crossing  the  liay  of  Cliignecto,  the  voyagetrrs  came  to  a 
spacious  bay  with  three  islands  and  a  rock,  two  bearing  a 
league  to  the  eastward,  the  other  at  the  mouth  of  a  river, 
the  largest  and  deepest  they  had  yet  seen.  This  they  named 
the  lliver  St.  John,  on  account  of  the  day  it  was  discovered. 
By  the  Indians  it  was  called  Ouangont^y,  signifying  a  higli- 
way.  Champlain,  the  historian  of  the  expedition,  describes 
the  River  St.  John  that  the  falls  being  passed,  the  river  en- 
lai'ged  to  a  league  in  certain  places,  and  that  there  were 
three  islands,  near  which  there  were  a  great  quantity  of 
meadows  and  handsome  woods,  tiuch  as  oaks,  beeches,  but- 
ternuts, and  vines  of  wild  grapes.  The  inhabitants  went 
to  Tadousac,  on  the  great  River  St.  Lawrence,  and  had  to 
pass  but  little  land  to  reach  the  place. 

Leaving  the  St.  John,  they  sailed  to  the  west  and  carae 
in  sight  of  four  islands  now  called  "The  Wolves,"  but  which 
he  named  Isles  an  Margos,  from  the  great  number  of  birds 
be  found  on  them.  He  presently  found  Himself  sailing 
among  islands,  many  of  them  very  beautiful,  and  contain- 
ing numerous  harbors,  situated  in  a  cul  de  sac;  the  waters 
abounded  in  fish. 

The  season  being  far  spent,  De  Monts  fixed  upon  an  island 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix  River  as  the  most  suitable 
place  to  commence  a  settlement.  He  immediately  be'^^an 
the  erection  of  suitable  buildings,  in  the  meantime  dispatch- 
ing one  of  his  vessels  to  St.  Marys  Bay  to  examine  some 
ores  The  attention  of  the  sailors  was  attracted  one  day  to 
the  signal  of  a  white  handkerchief  attached  to  a  stiok  and 
waved  by  a  person   on   shore;  immediately   landing   they 


4i 


ACADIA 


IS 


i.  I. .11 


were  overjoyed  on  finding  the  missing  Aubrey,  who  had 
been  absent  seventeen  days,  subsisting  on  berries  and  roots. 
He  had  strayed  from  his  companions,  and  being  unable  to 
retrace  his  steps,  he  wandered  he  knew  not  whither. 

De  Monts  built  his  fort  at  the  end  of  the  Island ;  outside 
of  this  were  the  barracks.  Within  the  fort  was  the  resi- 
dence of  De  Monts  fitted  up  with  "  fair  carpentry  work ;" 
close  at  band  were  the  dwellings  of  his  officers.  A.  covered 
gallery,  for  exercise  during  bad  weather,  a  storehouse,  a 
large  brick  oven,  and  a  chapel,  completed  the  structures  for 
the  use  of  the  colony.  "Nearly  two  hundred  years  after- 
ward, t  je  stone  fount'ations  of  these  buildings  were  brought 
to  light.  Five  distinct  piles  of  ruins  were  discovered  on 
the  north  end  of  the  island,  and  the  manner  in  which  the 
woik  had  been  done  showed  the  builders  iut<:!i:ded  the  fort 
should  be  a  permanent  one.''* 

Wbilc  the  colonists  were  thus  occupied,  Poutrincourt  took 
his  departure  for  France :  he  went  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
moving his  family  to  the  home  he  had  chosen  at  Port  Roy- 
al, and  to  bear  a  message  to  the  King  that  his  subjects  had 
at  last  founded  a  colony  in  Acadia. 

Scarcely  had  they  completed  their  labors  before  the  rig- 
ors of  winter  btu'st  upon  them  in  all  their  fury.  The  colo- 
nists weio  appalled  at  the  depth  of  the  snows,  and  the  fury 
of  the  blasts ;  the  river  became  a  black  aud  chilly  tide,  and 
the  cold  was  more  severe  than  they  had  ever  before  experi- 
enced. De  Monts  had  not  chosen  the  position  wisely,  there 
bf  iug  no  wood  near.  Before  spring  thiity-six  of  his  people 
died  of  scurvy.f 


•Hanney. 

tChamplain  describes  this  disease  as  follows: — During  the  Trinter  » 
certain  disease  broke  out  among  many  of  our  people,  ciiUed  ute  diRease 
of  the  country,  otherwise  the  scurvy,  as  I  have  since  heard  learned  men 
sny.  It  originated  in  the  month  of  those  who  have  a  large  amount  o£ 
dabby  and  superfluous  flesh,  (causing  a  bad  putrefaction,)  whioh  inoreas** 


VEBHANENT   SETTLXnENT 


it 


who  bad 
nd  roots, 
inable  to 
ir. 

;  outside 
the  resi' 
y  work;" 
S.  covered 
ehouse,  a 
:ture8  for 
ars  after- 
e  brought 
)vered  oa 
svhich  the 
I  the  fort 

3ourt  took 
)se  of  re- 
i*ort  Roy- 
ejects  had 

9  the  rig- 
The  colo- 
l  the  fury 
tide,  and 
re  experi- 
sely,  thei'e 
his  people 


;li«  Trintar  a 
ixie  disease 
earned  men 
)  amocnt  ot 
liehinflreaa* 


On  the  return  of  spring,  De  Monts  armed  his  pinnace, 
and  taking  the  remnant  of  colonists  on  board,  hastened  to 
■quit  the  island.  They  sailed  southward  as  far  as  Cape  Cod; 
not  finding  a  more  eligible  place  for  settlement,  they  turned 
helm  and  steered  for  Acadian  waters,  where  they  met  with 
an  expedition  just  arrived  from  Frau'ie,  with  fresh  supplies 
and  forty  emigrants  for  the  colony.  This  accession  stimu- 
lated their  drooping  spirits,  and  they  at  once  set  out  for 
Port  RoyaL  On  their  way  they  stopped  at  the  solitary 
island  which  had  been  the  scene  of  so  much  suffering,  and 
where  so  many  of  their  companions  lay  bui'ied.  Before 
leaving,  some  of  the  colonists  sowed  grain  on  the  island: 
on  visiting  the  place  years  later,  they  found  and  reaped  a 
heavy  crop  of  rya  *'  A  solitary  lighthouse  now  warns  the 
manner  to  avoid  its  bleak  and  inhospitable  shores." 

The  site  chosen  for  settlement  at  Port  Royal  was  oppo- 
site Goat  Island,  on  the  Granville  side  of  the  basin,  about 
six  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Annapolis.  The  position 
was  admirably  adai^ted  to  the  purpose.  The  giound  gent- 
ly sloped  from  the  bank;  the  long  line  of  hills  in  the  rear 
warded  off  the  bleak  north  winds ;  timber  of  the  best  qual- 
ity was  abundant ;  the  fisheries  were  close  at  hand ;  there 


es  to  such  au  extent  thnt  tbey  can  scarcely  take  anyibing,  unless  it  is  al- 
most liquid.  The  teetli  Iwcome  quite  loose,  and  they  can  be  extracted  by 
the  fingers  without  cnusin;.;  .tny  pain.  The  superfluity  of  this  flesh  re- 
quires to  be  cut  nwiiy,  auci  this  causes  a  violent  bleeding  from  the  mouth. 
They  are  afterward  seized  with  great  pain  in  the  legs  and  arms,  which 
swell  up  and  become  very  hard,  all  marked  as  if  bitten  by  fleas,  and  they 
are  unable  to  walk  from  contraction  of  the  nerves,  so  that  tliey  have  no 
strength  left,  and  suffer  the  most  intolerable  pain.  They  have  also  pains 
iu  the  loins,  the  stomach  and  intestines,  a  very  bad  cough,  and  shortness 
of  breath;  in  short,  they  are  in  such  a  state  that  the  greater  part  of  those 
seized  with  the  complaint  can  neither  rp^se  nor  move  themselves,  and  if 
they  attempt  to  stand  erect  they  fall  do\  u  senseless,  so  that  of  seventy- 
Dine  ot  us,  tbirty-five  died,  and  more  than  twenty  barely  escaped  death. 


IK 


K 


ACADIA 


wei'e  mai'sh  lands  of  ioezhaustible  richness  ^  the  climate 
here  was  milder  than  in  most  of  the  peninsula ; — in  short, 
nothing  was  wanting  that  Nature  could  oestow  to  render 
the  location  desirable^ 

The  colonists  once  more  set  to  work.  Dwellings  were 
erected,  storehouses  built,  and  a  small  palisaded  fort  was 
constructed^  as  a  means  of  defense  against  an  enemy.  And 
here  the  first  water-mill  was  put  up,  an  expedient  that 
saved  the  colonists  a  great  amount  of  the  severest  labor. 

As  soon  as  this  work  was  fairly  inaugurated^  De  Monts 
departed  for  France  to  provide  for  the  provisioning  of  the 
new  settlement,  leaving  Pontgrave  in  command  during  his 
absence.  He  left  them  under  very  auspicious  circumstances 
and  anticipated  a  speedy  return  with  the  needed  stores. — 
The  natives  were  pacific  through  the  winter,  and  provided 
the  colonists  with  an  abundance  of  fresh  meat,  and  opened 
a  brisk  trade  with  them  in  peltries.  The  settlers  were  free 
from  epidemic  during  the  whole  season. 

On  return  of  spring  [1606}  Pontgrave,  not  yet  satisfied, 
resolved  to  find  a  warmer  climate  for  his  colony.  He  fitted 
out  a  barque  and  set  sail  for  Cape  Cod.  Twice  was  he  driv- 
en back  to  Port  Royal  by  stress  of  weather  -,  at  the  last  at- 
tempt the  little  vessel  was  injured  at  the  mouth  of  the  har- 
bor, and  permanently  disabled.  Pontgrave  set  to  work  to 
build  another ;  in  the  meantime  the  season  waned,  and  D© 
Monts  did  not  arrive  from  France.  On  the  25th  of  July, 
Pontgrave  left  Port  Royal  in  his  new  vessel,  leaving  two 
men  in  charge  of  the  stores,  and,  with  the  hope  of  falling  in 
with  some  fishing  vessel,  coasted  along  as  far  as  Canso, 
Bailing  through  the  Petite  Passage,  between  Long  Island 
and  the  Main.  At  this  time  De  Monts  was  hastening  to  the 
aid  of  Port  Royal  in  the  Jonas,  and  happening  to  pass  out- 
side of  Long  Island,  the  vessels  missed  each  other.  De 
Monts  had  been  detained  in  France  by  some  unforeseen  cir- 
ciuustauce,  but  finally  succeeded  m  uettiii^  out  with  a  fresh 


1      !i 


PmmANlETr   SETTI.RMmuT 


47 


aiipply  of  provisions  and  men,  Poutrincoiirt  arrcompanying 
hiin.  Pontgiave  fell  in  with  a  shallop  left  on  the  Canao 
ooast  bv  De  Monts,  and  rpoeived  information  that  the  Jo- 
nas  bad  arrived.  He  retraced  his  course  with  all  haste, 
and  on  the  31st  of  July,  rejoined  his  companions  at  Port 
Royal.  In  honor  of  the  event  Poutrincourt  op-^ned  a  hogs- 
head of  wine,  and  the  night  was  spent  in  Bacchanalian  rev- 
elry. 

Althonpfh  the  season  was  far  advanced,  they  sowed  vege- 
tables and  prain.  Most  of  the  colonists  would  have  bfen 
c<  ntent  to  remain,  but  De  Monts  wanted  to  make  another 
t'ffoit  further  south.  Accordingly  Poutrincourt  set  sail  on 
the  28th  of  August  in  search  of  another  location  in  which 
to  fix  their  settlement.  On  the  same  day  the  Jonas  put  to 
8ea  with  De  Monts  and  Pontgrave,  who  were  to  return  to 
France.  Poutrincourt's  voyage  began  with  diflScnlties,  and 
ended  in  disaster.  After  being  twice  turned  back  by  storms, 
he  coasted  as  far  as  Cape  Cod :  here  his  vessel  was  dama<7ed 
among  the  shoals.  Some  of  his  men  who  went  ashore,  caMie 
in  collision  with  the  natives,  who  here  appeared  to  be  of  a 
savage,  warlike  disposition.  Poutrincourt  ordei*ed  \\\a  men 
on  board ;  but  five  of  them  who  neglected  to  obey,  were  sur- 
prised, two  killed  outright  and  others  wounded — two  mor- 
tally. A  party  were  sent  on  shore,  and  the  slain  were  buried, 
and  a  cross  erected  over  their  graves.  The  Indians  soon 
appeared,  tore  down  the  cross  and  dug  up  the  bodies.  Pou- 
trincourt replaced  the  cross  and  bodies,  and  bore  away  for 
Port  Royal,  where  they  arrived  on  the  14th  of  November. 

The  following  winter  was  spent  in  comfort  and  cheerful- 
ness. They  made  an  arrangement,  for  each  colonist  to  be- 
come steward  and  caterer  for  the  day  in  his  turn ;  it  became 
a  point  of  honor  with  each  one,  as  his  day  of  providing  came, 
to  have  the  table  well  served  with  game,  which  he  procured 
from  the  forest  or  else  purclias*  d  of  the  Indians.  In  conse- 
quence they  faied  sumptuously  all  winter.     Painful  to   re- 


i 


) 


H1|' 


y    i:-i 


I  I 

I 


w%. 


4S 


ACAOTA 


cord,  though  bread  and  game  were  abundant,  their  wine  be- 
gan to  fall  short, — the  festive  Frenchmen  were  reduced 
from  three  quarts  a  man,  daily,  to  an  inconsiderable  pint. 

The  Micniacs  were  their  constant  Tisitors  through  the 
winter.  Mernberton,  chief  of  all  the  clans  from  Gaspe  to 
Cape  Sable,  was  a  frequent  guest.  He  recollected  the  vis- 
it of  Cartier  to  the  Bay  of  Chaleurs  over  sixty  years  befoie. 
In  the  spring  the  work  of  improvement  was  renewed.  The 
fisheries  were  prosecuted  vigorously,  and  all  available  land 
was  prepared  for  receiving  seed,  and  fortune  seemed  to 
Bmile  on  the  little  colony. 

One  morning  in  May  the  Indians  brought  in  word  that  a 
vessel  was  moving  up  the  Basin.  Poutrincouvt  set  out  in 
his  shallop  to  meet  her ; — she  proved  to  be  a  small  barque 
from  the  Jonaii,  then  lying  at  Canso,  She  brought  the  dis- 
heartening intelligence  that  the  company  of  merchants  was 
broken  up,  and  that  no  further  supplies  weie  to br)  furnished 
the  colony.  Nothing  now  remained  but  to  leave  Port  Roy- 
al, where  so  much  had  been  expended  to  no  purpose.  Pou- 
trincourt  determined  to  take  visible  tokens  of  the  excellen- 
cies of  Acadia  back  to  France  with  him  ;  to  do  so  he  must 
stay  until  corn  was  ripe.  Not  to  sacrifice  the  interests  of 
the  merchants  at  whose  charge  the  vessel  had  been  sent  to 
take  the  colonists  back  to  France,  he  employed  the  barque 
in  the  meantime  in  trading  with  the  Indians  at  St.  John 
and  St.  Croix,  and  at  Minas. 

A  war  having  broken  out  between  the  Indians  of  Acadia 
and  the  tribes  west  of  the  Penobscot,  the  whole  available 
force  of  the  Micmacs  was  called  into  requisition.  Port 
Royal  was  the  rendezvous,  and  early  in  the  summer  Mem- 
berton  took  his  departure  for  Saco  with  four  hundred  war- 
riors. This  savage  pageant,  warlike,  novel  and  imposing, 
greatly  interested  the  whites ;  as  the  flotilla  swept  past  the 
eettleuient  the  Frenchmen'.*  guns  thundered  forth  a  grand 
salute  which  reverberated  far  and  wide  over  the  water — by 


f. 


'■ll 


ON  THE  ]<AY  OF  FlNDY. 


1^ 


h 


!i!l 


i^  ;i 


!  :•. 


PSRMAMU^T    UETTLKMimr 


4» 


way  of  cheering  their  Indian  friends  on  to  victory.  The 
Piince  of  the  western  tribes  was  defoatel ;  a  civil  war  broke 
out  among  his  now  divided  people  ;  pestilence  followed  ; 
some  tribes  were  exterminated  and  others  were  greatly  re> 
ducod :  such  was  the  tragic  end  of  this  great  savage  war, 
and  Memberton  returned  triuuipl  ant  to  Fort  Royal  before 
the  colonists  leiy. 

The  grain  having  ripened,  Foutriucourt  set  sail  on  the 
11th  of  August.  He  left  Memborton  ten  hogsheads  of  meal 
and  all  the  standing  grain,  enjoining  the  Indians  to  sow 
more  hi  the  spring.  The  natives  appeared  sincerely  grieved 
at  the  departure  of  the  colonists,  manifesting  the  intensity 
of  their  feelings  even  to  teax's. 

Foutiincourt  promptly  waited  on  the  French  Monarch, 
showing  him  upcoimens  of  wheat,  barley  and  oats  grown  in 
AcaJia  :  also  five  living  wild  geese  hatch  1  nfjar  Port  Royal. 
Tho  King  was  much  pleased  with  the  specimens,  and  urged 
Foutrincourt  to  continue  the  settlement.  He  ratified  the 
grant  of  Fort  Royal  made  him  by  De  Monts,  and  desired 
him  to  procure  the  services  of  the  Jesuits  in  converting  the 
Indians,  and  offertd  t  vo  thousand  livres  ft  r  their  support. 
Two  yeai's  subsequent,  Ohampdore  visited  Fort  Roy  a.,  and 
found  the  grain  growing  finely  and  the  buildings  ail  in  good 
order ;  he  was  received  by  Memberton  and  his  people  with 
demonstrations  of  welcome. 

Foutrincourt  was  detained  in  France  much  longer  than 
lie  anticipated :  he  did  not  visit  Fort  Royal  until  June,  1610. 
This  time  he  brought  wiih  him  a  Catholic  priest  named 
Josse  Flesche,  who  prosecuted  the  work  of  converting  the 
Indians.  At  Fort  Royal  twenty-five  were  baptized — xVlem- 
berton  being  one  of  the  number.  This  great  Sachem  was 
80  full  of  zeal  that  he  oflFered  to  make  war  on  all  who  should 
refuse  to  become  Christians :  this  savored  too  much  of  the 
Mohammedan  system  of  conversion,  and  was  declined. — 
Poiitrincoui't,  who  was  somewhat  of  a  connoisseur  in  music, 


vr 


AOAriA 


composed  times  for  the  hymns  and  chants  used  by  the  In- 
dian converts  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  church.  A  band  of 
novel  worshipers  they  were,  celebrating  in  their  rude  church 
the  solemn  rites,  with  maimers  yet  untamed. 

I*oatrincourt  had  sent  his  son  to  France  for  supplies  ear- 
ly in  July,  and  also  to  carry  the  news  of  the  conversion  of 
the  natives,  with  instructions  to  return  in  four  months. 
Winter  having  set  in,  and  the  expected  succor  not  arriving, 
the  colonists  became  seriously  alarmed;  but  their  experience 
in  Acadian  life  enabled  them  to  depend  on  their  own  exertions 
for  supplies  svifficient  to  wai'd  off  starvation.  Biencourt 
had  presented  himself  at  the  French  coui't,  and  was  desired 
by  the  Queen  to  take  two  Jesuit  missionaries.  Fathers  Bl- 
are] and  Mass^,  with  him  on  his  return,  the  ladies  of  the 
court  providing  liberally  for  the  voyage.  Biencourt's  ves- 
sel was  to  sail  from  Dieppe  in  October,  but  some  Hugue- 
not traders  who  had  an  interest  with  Bieucourt  refused  to 
allow  any  Jesuits  to  go  in  the  vessel.  To  this  he  was 
obliged  to  submit :  Madame  de  Guercheville,  a  lady  of  the 
court,  collected  money  sufficient  to  buy  out  the  traders,  and 
the  missionaries  were  allowed  to  embark. 

Biencourt,  with  a  company  of  thu'ty-six  persons,  and  a 
Bmall  craft  of  but  sixty  tons  buiden,  essayed  a  winter  voy- 
age across  the  stormy  Atlantic.  They  sailed  in  January, 
1611,  but  were  socn  forced  to  take  shelter  in  an  English 
harbor.  The  voyage  lasted  four  months :  at  one  time  they 
were  in  great  danger  from  icebergs  ;  they  reached  Port  Roy- 
al late  in  May. 

Much  of  the  stores  that  were  to  supply  the  colony  had 
been  exhausted  on  the  voyage,  and  they  were  forced  to  seek 
provisions  elsewhere.  A  temporary  supply  having  been  ob- 
Uiined  of  some  fishing  vessels  at  the  isiand  of  Grand  Me- 
nan,  Poutrincourt  set  sail  for  France,  leaving  Port  Eoyal 
in  command  of  his  son.  The  coiouy  consisted  of  twenty- 
two  persons,  including  thd  Jesuit  MiBsiouMies.     F»thttr 


PERMANENT   SETTLEMEKl' 


61 


ira=!sJi  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Micmac  village  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  John ;  Father  Biard  united  himself  with 
Indians  ai  Port  Koyal,  accompauying  Biencourt  on  his  oc- 
casional tvips  to  points  along  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 

About  thit  time,  the  chief,  Membeiton,  being  near  his 
end,  a  disputt  arose  between  the  Jesuit  priests  and  Bien- 
court as  to  his  piace  of  burial.  Biencourt  wanLeJ  him  to 
be  buried  among  his  own  people,  agreeably  to  a  promise  he 
had  made  the  dying  chief ;  the  Jesuits  insisted  he  should  be 
buried  in  consecrated  ground.  Biencourt  curtly  told  them 
they  might  consecrate  the  Indian  burial  ground,  but  he 
should  see  that  Memberton's  request  was  carried  out.  The 
old  chief  consented  to  be  buried  with  the  Christians,  and 
he  was  accordingly  interred  in  the  burial  ground  at  Port 
Royal. 

Meanwhile  the  colonists  were  getting  short  of  provis- 
ions ;  but  late  in  January  [1G12]  a  vessel  arrived  with  sup- 
plies, sent  out  by  an  arrangement  Poutrincourt  had  made 
with  Madame  de  Guercheville,  who  had  exerted  herself 
strenuously  to  promote  the  mission  of  the  Jesuits.  This 
lady  was  hkely  to  become  an  ally  that  would  fain  be  his 
own  master ;  it  being  her  ambition  to  form  a  spiritual  des- 
potism in  Acadia,  in  which  the  Jesuits  were  to  be  the  rul- 
ers, and  herself  the  patroness.  All  of  Acadia  except  Port 
Royal  belonged  to  De  Monts ;  having  obtained  a  release  of 
his  rights,  and  a  grant  from  the  King  for  herself,  she  de- 
pended on  Poutriucourt's  necessities  to  force  him  to  relin- 
quish his  portion.  The  latter  did  not  return  to  Port  Roy- 
al, but  sent  a  vessel  in  charge  of  Simon  Imbert,  a  servant 
iu  whom  he  had  entire  confidence,  Madame  de  Guerche- 
ville sent  another  Jesuit  named  Du  Thet,  in  the  guise  of  a 
paHseuger,  but  really  as  a  spy  in  hej-  interest.  Soon  after 
tLeir  arrival,  serious  difftu-eiiees  arose  between  the  priests 
and  the  colonists.  It  is  said  that  Uiencourt  was  actually 
oxcommuuicatod  by  the  Jesuit  pridsba ;  ho  uooUy  iuformed 


1 


m 


i; 


■31 


If    i. 


;l!li 


•  <     I' 


03  ACADIA 

them,  that  however  hij^h  their  s])iritual  authority  mipfht  be, 
he  was  their  ruler  un  earth,  aud  that  he  would  be  obeyed 
by  all  in  the  colony,  even  to  the  point  of  compelling  obedi- 
ence with  the  lash.  Biard  and  Mass6,  who  appeared  sin- 
crt'ely  desirous  of  converting*  the  savages,  were  suffered  to 
remain  in  the  colony ;  bnt  Du  Thet,  whom  Eieiicourt  sus- 
pected of  not  coming  out  as  a  missionary,  and  who  was  all 
the  while  creating  dissensions,  was  sent  l--  -^-  to  France.— 
Thus  was  Port  Eoyal  once  more  brou^  ..  to  a  tranquil 
state.* 

Biencourt  now  set  to  work  to  prevent  the  influence  of  the 
Jesuits  from  becoming  predominant  in  the  colony :  this  de- 
termined the  Lady  de  Guercheville  to  establish  there  a  col- 
ony of  her  own.  At  Honfleur  she  fitted  out  a  vessel  of  one 
hundred  tons  burden,  aud  gave  the  commi  nd  to  M.  de  La 
Saussaye,  with  forty-eight  persons  and  pi  ^visions  for  one 
year, — the  Jesuit  Fathers  Du  Thet  and  Qua  itin  accompany- 
ing the  expedition.  The  vessel  was  bettev  provided  with 
stores  and  implements  than  any  previously  sent  to  Acadia ; 
cai'rying  horses,  goats  for  milk,  tents  and  munitions  of  war. 
She  wrote  a  letter  commanding  that  Fathers  Biard  and 
Mass^  be  allowed  to  leave  Port  Boyal. 

The  vessel  sailed  in  March,  1613,  reaching  Cape  La  H6ve 
in  May,  where  they  held  high  mass,  and  erected  a  cross 
with  the  arms  of  Marchioness  de  Guercheville  as  a  symbol 
that  they  held  possession  of  the  country  for  her.  They 
next  visited  Port  Royal;  taking  Fathers  Biard  and  Massd 
on  board,  they  stood  for  Peutagoet.  When  off  Grand  Me- 
nan,  a  thick  fog  arose  which  lasted  ten  days:  ^en  they 
put  into  a  harbor  on  the  east  side  of  Desert  Island.  This 
they  chose  as  a  site  for  a  settlement,  naming  the  town  St. 
Sauveur.  All  were  speedily  engaged  in  clearing  ground. 
La  Saussaye  was  advised  by  the  principal  colonists  to  build 


•Honoajb 


'■■m 


i^- 


VXBHANXNT  BISTTLEUEHT 


53 


«  BwfficTent  fortification  before  proceeding  to  cultivate  the 
soil :  he  merely  raised  a  small  j^aiisaded  structure,  and  was 
perforce  little  prepared  to  meet  the  storm  that  was  about 
to  fall  upon  the  uususpecting  little  colony. 

A  fleet  of  VI  ssels  from  Virginia,  convoyed  by  an  armed 
vessel  under  command  of  Captain  Samuel  Argali,  came  into 
Acadian  waters  for  fish.  Learning  there  was  a  French  set- 
tlement in  Mount  Desert  Harbor,  with  a  vessel,  he  resolved 
to  attack.  All  the  French  were  ashore  except  ten  men  who 
did  not  understand  the  working  of  the  ship.  At  the  second 
discharge  of  Argall's  musketry,  Du  Thet  fell  back  mortally 
wounded ;  four  others  were  seriously  injured,  and  two  mea 
jumped  overboaid  and  were  drowned.  Argali  proceeded 
to  the  new  settlement  on  the  shore,  and  informed  them  they 
were  on  English  territ''.y,  and  that  they  must  remove.  He 
said  to  La  Saussaye  s  he  could  prove  he  was  acting  under 
commission  from  '  xie  Crown  of  France,  he  would  treat  them 
icjulerly.  T.r.  Liaussaye  could  not  show  his  commission,  as 
it  was  among  the  jjapers  which  Argali  had  abstracted  from 
the  ship's  chest  while  plundering  the  captured  vessel.  Ai'- 
gall  now  assumed  a  very  haughty  tone, — called  them  a  set 
of  freebooters  and  pirates— uud  to  show  his  authority,  car- 
ried away  fifteen  of  the  colony  in  chains  to  Vii'ginia,  mag- 
nuuimously  allowing  the  remainder  to  take  a  shallop  and  go 
in  search  of  some  French  fishing  vessel  in  which  to  return 
to  France. 

Argali  arrived  in  Vuginia,  with  his  bound  French  cap- 
tives. His  perfidious  theft  of  La  Saussaye's  commission 
was  likely  to  cause  his  prisoners  to  be  executed  as  pirates } 
to  save  them  he  produced  the  filched  document:  but  this, 
while  it  saved  the  lives  of  one  set  of  Frenchmen,  ruined  the 
rest  of  Acadia.  Argali  was  furnished  with  two  armed  ves- 
sels, and  set  sail  on  a  mission  to  destroy  all  the  French  set- 
tlements in  Acadia.  He  was  accompanied  by  Fathers  Biard 
and  Qusntin.    Argali  first  visited  St.  Sauveur,  wheie  he  de> 


64 


ACADTA 


m 


stroyed  the  cross  the  Jesuits  had  set  up,  and  erecCed  tCDoth" 
er  in  its  place  with  the  name  of  the  British  King  on  it ;  then 
firing  the  buildings  he  sailed  £<»*  SL  Croix  Island,  where  he 
destroyed  a  quantity  of  salt  stored  there  by  fishermen.  He 
then  crossed  to  Port  Royal,  piloted,  it  is  said,  by  an  Indian ;; 
but  some  suspected,  and  it  was  generally  believed,  that  Fa- 
ther Biard  did  this  favor. 

Arrived  at  Port  Royal,  the  fort  was  found  to  be  without  an 
occupant — all  the  people  were  at  work  in  the  fields,  five 
miles  distant.  The  first  intimation  the  poor  Frenchmen  had 
of  the  presence  of  strangers,  was  the  smoke  of  their  burn- 
ing dwellings.  Argall  proceeded  to  destroy  the  fort,  to- 
gether with  a  great  quantity  of  goods  stored  within  it,  and 
even  effaced  with  a  pick,  the  arms  of  France  and  the  names 
of  De  Monts  and  other  Acadian  pioneers,  engraved  on  a 
stone  in  the  interior.  He  is  said  to  have  spared  the  mills 
and  barns  up  the  river,  only  because  he  did  not  know  they 
were  there.  The  piratical  Ai'gall,  having  completed  the  de- 
struction of  the  colony,  departed  for  Vii'ginia,  having,  by 
the  act,  rendered  his  name  notorious  in  American  annals. 
The  despoiled  inhabitants  quitted  the  place,  some  taking 
refuge  in  the  woods  around  with  the  Indians,  and  others 
emigrating  to  a  distant  settlement  on  the  river  St.  Lawrence- 
History  says,  that  while  the  ^struction  was  going  on, 
Biencourt  made  his  appearance,  and  requested  a  confeience. 
The  parties  met  in  a  meadow ;  Biard  endeavored  to  persuade 
the  colonists  to  abandon  the  country  and  take  shelter  with 
tho  invaders.  The  advice  was  received  badly.  Biencourt 
proposed  a  division  of  the  trade  of  thecountry ;  Argall  would 
not  accede  to  this — his  mission  was  to  dispossess  the  French, 
ar.d  nothing  short  of  that  would  suffice.  When  Argall  left 
Port  Royal,  that  settlement,  on  which  more  than  100,000 
crowns  had  been  expended,  lay  in  ashes ; — a  place  more 
desolate  than  the  most  dreary  desert  could  have  been.  No 
.  more  wanton  destruction  could  be  imagined,  perpetrated  iq 


PERMAIfE:?!  SETTLEMENT 


5S 


a  time  of  peace, — the  only  claim  that  England  could  lay  to 
the  territory  being,  that  the  Cabots,  more  than  a  century 
before,  had  touched  somewhere  upon  these  shores  while 
sailing  under  British  authority.  No  remonstrance  ever  came 
from  France  for  this  piratical  outrage — that  power  evident- 
ly preferring  to  recognize  the  colony  in  the  light  of  a  pri- 
vate venture,  and  not  giving  the  afiair  the  importance  of  a 
national  issue. 

Poutrincourt,  who  attributed  all  his  misfortunes  to  the 
Jesuits,  took  no  further  part  in  the  affairs  of  Acadia;  he  was 
killed  soon  after  the  events  just  related,  in  the  military  ser- 
vice of  the  King. 

Bieiicourt  never  returned  to  France,  but  maintained  him- 
self and  a  few  faithful  companions  the  rest  of  his  life  in 
Acadia;  sometimes  living  with  the  savages,  and  at  other 
times  residing  near  Port  Royal.  Of  his  adventurous  life 
in  the  remote  Acadian  wilds,  but  little  has  come  down  to  us 
in  history.  Doubtless  were  it  written,  it  would  rival  the 
most  romantic  production  of  fiction. 


■gpmwwr 


I    ! 


THE  LA  tours: 


Although  the  destruction  of  Port  Eoya!  by  Argall  was 
complete,  it  does  not  appear  that  many  of  the  inhabitants 
returned  to  France.  In  1619,  two  French  trading  compa- 
nies were  formed ;  one  to  carry  on  a  shore  fishery  with  a 
rendezvous  at  Miscou  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  the 
other  a  trade  in  furs  with  a  depot  at  the  mouth  of  the  Riv- 
er St.  John.  To  provide  for  the  religious  wants  of  the  ad- 
venturers, three  Recollet  missionaries  were  sentj  through 
their  instrumentality  many  of  the  natives  were  induced  to 
embrace  the  Christian  religion.  During  all  this  time  the 
English  continued  to  assert  their  right  to  Acadia  by  reason 
of  the  discovery  by  the  Cabots  a  centui-y  before,  and  were 
fain  to  consider  the  French  as  interlopers. 

At  the  court  of  King  James  was  a  Scottish  gentleman^ 
Sir  Williain  Alexander,  standing  high  in  royal  favor,  to 
whom  was  granted  in  September,  1621,  a  j)iece  of  territory 
including  the  whole  of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Bi'unswick  and 
the  Gaspe  peninsula,  to  be  held  at  a  quit-rent  of  one  penny 
Scots  per  year,  to  be  paid  on  the  soil  of  Nova  Scotia  on  the 
festival  of  the  Nativity  of  Christ,  if  demanded.  The  pro- 
prietor was  endowed  with  enormous  powers  for  the  gov- 
(«:nmcnt  of  his  territory,  the  creation  of  titles  und  officers, 
and  the  maintenance  of  fortifications  and  fleets. 

In  pursuance  of  his  broad  plans,  in  1622  Alexander  fitted 
out  a  vessel,  and  sent  it  to  his  new  dominions.    It  was  late 


r 


THE   LA   T0UB3 


67 


irgall  waft 

nhabitants 

ng  compa- 

jry  with  a 

ce,  and  the 

)f  the  Riv- 

of  the  ad' 

t;  through 

induced  to 

9  time  the 

by  reason 

and  were 

iB'entleman, 

favor,  to 

f  territory 

swick  and 

one  penny 

otia  on  the 

The  pro- 

the  gov- 

d  ofiScers, 

nder  fitted 
i  was  late 


Mi 


in  the  season  when  it  reached  Newfoundland,  where  the  win- 
ter was  spent.  The  following  spring  the  expedition  sailed 
to  Cape  Sable,  where  some  time  was  occupied  on  the  coast ; 
finding  the  French  in  full  possession,  it  returned  to  Scot- 
land. 

In  1625,  Alexander  obtained  a  confirmation  of  his  title  to 
Acadia ;  and  to  expedite  its  settlement,  an  order  of  Baronets 
was  created.  This,  it  was  thought,  would  promote  emigra- 
tion by  the  introduction  of  the  English  custom  of  landed  es- 
tates into  the  new  territory :  probably  that  result  would  have 
been  accomplished,  had  the  plan  been  vigorously  carried  out. 

While  this  effort  at  the  colonization  of  Acadia  by  English 
subjects  was  going  on.  Cardinal  Richelieu  formed  a  strong 
company  to  accomplish  a  similar  purpose  under  French 
patronage,  to  which  was  given  the  title  of  the  Compa- 
ny of  New  France.  By  the  terms  of  the  charter,  Richelieu 
was  bound  to  settle  200  persons  the  first  year,  and  at  the 
end  of  fifteen  years  the  number  to  be  augmented  to  4000 — 
every  settler  to  be  of  French  birth,  and  a  Catholic.  The 
French  monarch  gave  the  company  two  vessels  of  war,  with 
aims  and  munitions :  the  wealth  and  standing  of  the  members 
of  the  .company  seemed  to  insure  success.  Twelve  of  the 
settlers  received  patents  of  Nobility ;  the  company  were 
granted  free  entry  into  France  of  everything  produced  in 
Acadia, — thus  having  a  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade,  hunt- 
ing and  shore  fishery;  and  were  clothed  with  the  power  of 
declaring  peace  or  war.  Thus  were  two  powerful  compa- 
nies fitted  out  by  two  European  nations,  who  were  destined 
to  prey  upon  each  other  in  the  Acadian  land.  War  between 
England  and  France  having  broken  out,  this  circumstance 
was  highly  favorable  to  the  strife  of  the  colonists. 

It  is  at  this  period  of  Acadian  history  that  the  name  of 
La  Tour  comes  into  notice — a  name  associated  with  stirring 
and  romantic  incident,  and  occupying  a  prominent  place  in 
the  annals  of  the  country.     Claude  La  Tour,  the  elder,  was 


H 


\] 


ih .  i 


1 


III 


>  I 
i'l 


i  ;i 


:;   llliriil 


68 


ACADIA 


a  French  Hivruenot,  who  had  lost  the  greater  part  of  hia 
estate  in  tlio  civil  war.  He  was  what  njight  be  termed  a 
broken  down  nobleman;  and  not  having  means  to  preserve 
tlie  style  of  living  to  which  his  family  had  been  accustomed, 
his  nUention  was  diverted  to  the  new  world.  He  came  to 
Acadia  in  1609,  accompanied  by  his  son  Charles,  who  was 
then  twelve  years  old.  He  was  engaged  in  trading  when 
the  settlement  at  Port  Royal  was  broken  up  by  Argall:  he 
was  afterward  dispossessed,  by  the  Plymouth  Colony,  of  a 
fort  which  he  had  erected  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pembocet. 

Charles  La  Tour,  the  son,  allied  himself  to  Biencourt, 
and  was  made  his  Lieutenant ;  and  in  1623,  when  he  was 
twenty-six  years  old,  he  was  bequeathed  Biencourt's  rights 
at  Port  Boyal,  and  thus  became  his  successor.  He  married 
a  Huguenot  lady,  who  afterward  became  the  most  remark- 
able character  in  Acadian  history.  Charles  had  removed 
from  Port  lioyal  soon  alter  his  marriage,  and  had  built  a 
fort  at  what  is  now  Port  La  Tour,  near  Cape  Sable.  His 
quick  perception  showed  him  that,  in  the  war  that  had  brok- 
en out,  the  French  were  in  danger  of  losing  their  title  to 
the  territory;  to  provide  against  such  an  occurrence,  his 
father  sailed  for  France  to  obtain  arms  and  ammunition. 
On  the  voyage  back  with  the  supplies,  several  of  the  vessels 
were  captured  by  a  British  squadron  in  command  of  Sir 
David  Kii'k,  and  Claude  La  Tour  was  sent  to  England  as  a 
prisoner  of  war.  Kirk  took  possession  of  Port  Royal,  left 
a  few  men  in  charge  of  the  works,  and  gave  orders  to  pre- 
pare for  the  reception  of  a  colony  in  the  spring.  Out  of 
the  fleet  coming  to  the  aid  of  Charles  La  Tour,  eighteen  ves- 
sels were  captured,  together  with  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  pieces  of  ordnance,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  ammunition- 
When  tidings  reached  him  of  the  disaster  to  the  fleet,  he 
summoned  all  the  French  in  Acadia  into  his  fort. 

In  the  meantime  the  elder  La  Tour,  being  designedly 
treated  with  especial  favor  at  the  English  court  which  held 


^ 


Hi 


'I 


THE    LA    TOURS 


69 


,rt  of  Ilia 
termed  a 

preserve 
•ustomed, 
I  came  to 
who  was 
ing  when 
iryali:  he 
[ony,  of  a 
nbocet. 
3iencourt, 
n  he  was 
L-t's  rights 
.e  married 
it  reiuark- 
l  removed 
id  built  a 
ible.     His 
had  brok- 
ir  title  to 
rence,  his 
imunitiou. 

le  vessels 
nd  of  Sir 

land  as  a 
ioyal,  left 
to  pre- 
Out  of 

iteen  ves- 
ud  thii'ty- 
imuiiition- 
fieet,  he 

lesiguedly 
bich  held 


rs 


him  prisoner,  and,  moreover,  forgetful  of  Lady  La  Tour, 
who  lay  sleeping  in  her  lowly  grave  at  Rochelle,  became  en- 
amored of  a  Protestant  lady,  whom  ho  married,  and  so  fell 
away  from  his  allegiance  to  his  native  country.  Ho  became 
iutciestcd  in  Sir  AVilliara  Alexander,  and  was  created  a  Bar- 
onet of  Nova  Scotia, — his  son  Charles  receiving  the  same 
honor.  The  two  La  Tours  were  granted  a  tract  of  territo- 
ry from  Yarmouth  to  Lunenburg,  fifteen  leagues  inland 
tow'iud  the  north,  the  laud  to  ba  held  under  the  Crown  of 
Scotland.  They  were  invested  with  power  of  building  forts 
and  towns,  togethei-  with  the  rights  of  Admiralty  over  the 
whoUi  coast.  For  this  munificent  gift  the  elder  La  Tour 
undtMtook  to  plant  a  colony  of  Scotch  in  Acadia,  and  also 
to  obtain  jKisnession  of  his  son's  fort  at  St.  Louis  for  the 
King  of  Great  Britain. 

He  accordiiigly  set  sail  in  1630,  with  two  vessels  well  pro- 
vided, and  landing  at  Fort  La  Tour,  waited  on  his  son. 
Notwithstauditjg  all  the  persuasions  the  father  could  offor, 
with  promiacs  of  wealth  and  the  favor  of  the  Crown  of  Gioat 
Britain,  the  son  could  not  be  setluced  from  his  allegiance  to 
France,  and  boldly  declared  himself  incapable  of  betraying 
the  contidence  leposed  in  him.  Overwhelmed  with  mc^rti- 
fication,  the  elder  La  Tour  retired  on  board  ship,  where  he 
addressed  him  a  letter  setting  forth  the  advantages  that 
would  accrue  to  both ;  he  next  attempted  to  intimidate  by 
menaces,  in  all  of  whicli  he  was  disregarded:  driven  to  des« 
peration,  he  disembarked  soldiers  and  a  number  of  seamen, 
and  attempted  to  carry  the  fort  by  assault.  His  attack 
was  received  by  the  son  with  spirit,  and  he  was  driven  back 
with  loss ;  the  next  day  he  directed  another  assault,  with 
no  better  success.  La  Tour  urged  a  third  attempt  but  ia 
this  his  intention  was  thwarted  by  the  commanding  officer, 
who  would  not  permit  any  more  men  to  be  sacrificed. 

Claude  La  Tour  was  now  in  a  bad  plight.  He  was  a  trait- 
or to  his  country ;  he  had  broken  his  promise  to  the  English ; 


1 


1.1 


?!!!! 


1 


M  I'i.i 


1'      n 


I'M         I 


1 .1  iliill 

-11 


1^1     !l 


60 


AOADIA 


he  had  nowbere  to  turn  for  comfort  or  succor.  He  told  hiB 
wife  he  bad  countpd  on  introducing  her  to  a  life  of  luxury 
and  ease  in  Acadia,  but  found  himself  instead,  reduced  to 
beggary,  and  offered  to  release  her  and  allow  her  to  return 
to  her  family;  she  refused  to  desert  him  at  his  misfortune, 
peif erring  to  share  with  him  his  trials  and  troubles.  He 
finally  took  up  his  abode  at  Port  Royal,  where  a  colony  ^torn- 
posed  chiefly  of  natives  of  Scol  and  had  been  established 
by  a  son  of  Sir  William  Alpxiuider,  who  had  built  a  fort 
on  the  Granville  shore  opposite  Goat  Island,  on  the  site  of 
the  French  works  destroyed  by  Argall.  Little  is  known  of 
the  colony,  and  that  kittle  is  a  record  of  misfortunes.  Thirty 
out  of  seventy  colonists  died  the  first  winter :  the  anival  of 
La  Tour's  ves'-'^ls  revived  their  drooping  spirits. 

Quebec  having  been  captured  by  the  English  forces,  the 
French  determined  to  regain  that  stronghold,  and  also  to 
strpngtben  the  defenses  of  what  possessions  still  remained 
to  them  in  America.  Two  vessels  were  fitted  out  with  sup- 
plies, arms,  and  ammunition,  and  arrived  sal'ely  after  a  'ovg 
and  stormy  passage.  Captain  Marot,  who  had  command  of 
the  expedition,  brought  the  younger  La  Tour  a  letter  from 
his  patrons,  enjoining  him  to  remain  steadfast  in  the  King's 
cause,  and  expressing  the  confidence  of  the  company  in  his 
patriotism ;  also  informing  him  that  the  vessels  with  the 
arms  and  ammunition  were  at  his  service.  Charles  La  Tour 
induced  his  father  to  come  from  Port  Royal  and  live  near 
him, — building  a  house  for  his  accon)modation  near  the 
walls  of  the  fort.  The  older  La  Tour  brought  information 
that  the  Port  Royal  colonists  intended  to  make  an  attack  on 
Fort  La  Tour.  This  information  led  to  the  evacuation  of 
that  fortress  and  the  building  of  another  strong  fort  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  John,  which  would  serve  the  double  pur- 
pose of  repelling  the  attacks  of  the  English  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  command  the  peltry  trade  of  the  Indians  of  the 
TMt  wilderness  extending  to  the  River  St.  Lawrence.    Arti- 


I 


I 


<rire  x.a  Totrss 


61 


ScerB  were  promptly  conveyed  to  the  spot  and  the  work  com- 
oieiiced  ;  but  the  summer  was  so  lar  advanced  that  little 
could  be  accomplished  that  season. 

By  treaty  of  St  Germain-en-Laye,  in  March  1632,  Acadia 
was  formally  restored  to  France,  the  intention  being  that 
the  Scotch  fort  at  Port  Royal  should  be  destroyed.  ThiB 
mea^^uie  led  to  considerable  trouble  in  Acadit*,  and  was  th« 
fruitful  cause  of  mucn  bloodshed. 

Agreeably  to  the  treaty,  France  proceeded  to  resume pos- 
te.ssion  of  those  portion.^  of  her  Acadian  provinces  that  had 
been  seized  by  the  Engiisb.  The  company  of  New  France, 
strong  in  numbers  and  influence,  were  to  spare  neither 
money  nor  paius  ;  an  expedition  was  fitted  out,  and  Isaac 
Je  Razilly  was  selected  as  commander.  He  was  to  receive 
«,  vessel,  the  L'Espcrance  en  Dieu,  free  and  in  sailing  order, 
limed  with  ^uns  and  swivels,  powder  and  shot,  and  tea 
thousand  livres  in  money,  in  consideration  of  which  he  en- 
gaged to  put  the  company  of  New  France  in  possession  of 
Port  Royal  without  further  charges.  He  agreed,  also,  to  fit 
out  an  armed  pinnace  of  not  less  that  100  tons  burden,  to 
cai'ry  out  the  Capuchin  friars,  and  such  a  number  of  meni 
ds  the  company  should  judge  to  be  proper.  He  received  a 
ooinmissiou  of  the  King  authorizing  him  to  cause  the  Scotch 
ttud  other  subjects  of  Great  Britain  to  withdraw  from 
Quebec,  Port  Royal,  and  Cape  Breton.  He  held  letters 
patent  from  the  King  of  Great  Britain  for  the  restitution  of 
Port  Royal  to  the  French,  and  an  order  from  King  Charles 
to  his  subjects  in  Port  Roj'al  for  the  abandonment  of  the 
place :  also  a  letter  from  Sir  Willi'^.m  Alexander  to  the  com- 
mandant at  Port  Roj'al  to  the  same  effect.  Razilly  took  oufi 
with  him  a  number  of  peasants  and  artizans  :  also  Charnisey, 
ft  lifo-long  enemy  to  Charles  La  Tour,  and  Nicolas  Deny  a, 
■who  afterward  became  the  historian  of  Acadia. 

Port  Royal  was  promptly  surrendered  by  the  Scotch  Com- 
luiuider.     Most  of  the  Scotch  families  were  glad  to  return 


4 


■■    ■! 


1 


m 


r  I 


Wm  AOADI& 

to  their  rative  land :  those  remaiuing  became  absorbed  in  tho 
Freucli  pup  illation  iu  the  course  of  a  geueiation. 

DuKazilly  Jiil  not  aultie  at  Port  Royal,  but  after  taking 
forjual  possession  weut  to  Le  Heve.  This  location  had  long 
been  hiiown  to  the  French  fishermen  ;  it  was  an  aduiuable 
p]ac3  to  cany  on  the  shore  lishery ;  the  harbor  was  spacious, 
safe,  and  easy  of  access.  De  Kazilly's  foit  was  erected  at 
the  head  of  Lu  Hove  harbor  un  its  western  side,  on  a  Utile 
hillock  of  three  or  four  acres  ;  it  was  a  small,  unpretending, 
palisaded  enclosare,  with  a  bastion  at  each  corner.  This 
fort  constituted  a  kind  of  trading  hou^e,  around  which  the 
houses  of  the  colonists  might  cluster,  and  in  which  the  peo- 
ple might  s-eek  refuge  in  time  of  danger.  DeRazilly,  in  the 
first  year,  brought  out  forty  colonists  from  Fiance,  who 
settled  on  the  rocky  land  surrounding  Le  Heve.* 

We;  k  as  was  the  colony  at  Le  Huve,  it  was  strong  enough 
to  create  great  apprehensions  in  the  Now  England  Colonies. 
Go»fcrnor  Winthrop,  in  his  diary,  relattd  how  he  called  the 
chief  men  to  Boston  to  devise  what  cou  d  be  done  for  the 
salety  of  New  England.  The  completion  of  the  fort  in 
Boston,  a  plantation  and  fort  at  Natascott,  and  a  plantation 
at  Agawara,  was  ordered. 

A  party  of  Frenchmen  came  to  Penobscot  where  the  Ply- 
mouth colonies  had  erected  a  trading  house,  pretending  they 
had  just  arrived  from  sea,  that  they  had  lost  theii-  reckon- 
ing, and  wanted  to  keel  up  theLr  vessel  and  repair*  her. 
The  people  were  mostly  absent ;  the  French,  seeing  their 
opportunity,  resolved  to  help  themselves  to  the  contents  of 
the  trading  house  ;  they  overpowered  the  four  men  in  charge 
Bud  loaded  their  vessel  with  the  pilfered  goods.  Then  set- 
ting the  guards  at  liberty,  they  told  ttem  to  inform  •  .oir 


master  on  his  return  that  bome  gentlomen  of  t 
Bhe  had  been  there.     It  is  highly  x^iobable  thi 


.aa 


of 
La 


*Now  occupied  by  the  town  uf  Halifax. 


TlIK   LA    T0DR8 


63 


tour  was  at  tlie  hpad  of  this  mauraiulin^  pavty,  to  reim- 
oin«e  liimself  for  his  loss  at  Penobscot  wlien  it  was  taken 
from  him  by  the  Enprlish.* 

While  ifiturniTi^-  with  the  plunder  of  Penobscot,  the  French 
Fell  in  with  an  English  shaMop,  in  comnian.l  of  Dixy  Bull, 
and  robbed  him  of  his  goods.  Bull  wan  so  much  discom*- 
jtgod  by  his  I'uihiro  in  getting  an  honest  living,  that  he  de- 
termined to  turn  i)irate himself.  Gathciing  together  nearly 
a  8c<jre  of  othfr  vag-Jibond  Englishmen,  and  seizing  some 
boats,  he  nfle.1  the  fort  at  Pemariuid,  and  p'undernd  the 
settlers.  He  was  cliasod  away  by  a  hastily  orgatiizd  foioe, 
and  a  bark  was  lirted  out  with  twenty  men  to  cajjtnre  him, 
wiiich  returned  unsuccessful  after  a  two  months'  crui'-.e. 
This  man  Bull  was  the  first,  pirate  history  mentions  as  being 
on  the  coast  of  New  England. 

Another  collision  between  the  French  and  English  set- 
tlers occurred  the  following  year,  in  which  La  Tour  dispos- 
et'ssed  a  company  at  Macliias,  wiiere  thej'  had  established 
a  trading  house,  killed  two  men,  and  took  prisoners  three 
of  the  guard  over  it ;  the  prisoners  and  captured  gi^.ods  he 
cariiod  off  to  the  La  Tour  fort  at  Cape  Sable.  He  further 
told  them  if  he  caught  them  trading  to  the  east  of  Pemaquid 
bt!  would  seize  them  and  their  vessels  as  lawful  prizes  to  the 
Iving  of  France.  One  of  the  Engiish  asked  to  see  La 
Tours  commission  ;  he  informed  (he  questioner  his  word 
was  a  sufficient  commission  where  he  had  strength  to  over- 
come his  enemies ;  when  that  failed,  he  would  show  him 
his  commission. 

The  claim  of  the  French  was  again  enforced  in  the  follow- 
ing year  [163/)].  De  Kazilly  sent  a  vessel  to  Penobscot 
under  command  of  his  Lieut.,  Charnisey  by  name.  The 
trading  post  at  Penobscot  which  had  been  despoiled  by  the 
French  a  few  years  previous  was  still  kept  up  by  the  Ply- 


'HflPPB-y. 


u 


ACADIA 


I    ii\ 


ilii 


In; 


:i 


mouth  colony^  but  was  Utile  capable  of  defence.  CEafraigey 
seized  all  the  goods  in  the  trading  house  there ;  he  gave- 
the  men  their  liberty,  but  showed  them  his  commission 
from  the  French  commander  at  La  E6ve  to  remove  all  the 
English  as  far  south  as  Pemaquid.  He  bade  them  tell  their 
people  he  would  return  next  year  with  ships  ind  men,  and 
remove  the  whole  colony  as  i.sr  south  as  the  40th  degree  of 
North  Latitude.  He  then  coolly  proceeded  to  occupy  the 
trading  post  and  strengthen  its  defenses,  a  caution  which 
served  him  to  good  purpose  as  subsequent  events  proved. 

When  the  news  of  this  violent  proceeding  reached  tho 
Plymouth  colonists,  their  rage  knew  no  bounds.  After  due- 
deliberation  they  entered  into  a  contract  with  a  jwrivate  in- 
dividual, Mr.  Girling,  owner  of  a  sailing  vessel  the  Great 
H<ype_ — who  undertook,  for  a  payment  of  two  hundred 
pounds,  to  drive  the  French  out  of  Penobscot,  the  Ply- 
mouth colony  to  aid  him  with  a  bark  and  about  twenty-five 
men.  The  French,  eighoeen  in  jiumber,  were  so  strongly 
intrenched,  that  after  expending  most  of  his  powder  and 
shot  in  an  ineffectual  cannonade.  Girling  was  obliged  to 
send  to  Boston  for  assistance,  leaving  the  Great  Hope  te 
maintain  the  blocki\de. 

The  General  Cour^  having  assembled  at  Boston,  the  mat- 
ter was  brought  bpfor«  it  in  due  form ;  a  diversity  of  senti- 
ment prevailed  as  to  th<>  measm-es  it  were  best  to  adopt. — 
Mutual  jealousies  and  iaisunderataudings  pervaded  the 
council,  and  the  conferenie  fell  through  without  arriving  at 
any  decision.  Giriing's  snip  was  soon  withdrawn,  and  tho 
French  were  left  in  uni]is*;urbed  possession  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Penobscot  for  several  years. 

The  last  grant  of  importance  made  by  the  Company  of 
New  France  was  to  Charles  de  La  Tour, — that  of  the  fort 
and  habitation  of  La  Tour  on  the  River  St.  John,  with  lands 
adjacent.  This  fort  was  destined,  in  after  years,  to  be  the 
theatre  of  the  most  stirring  events  in  Acadian  history. 


)   I 


THE   LA   TOmtS 


65 


In  1676,  Isaac  de  RaziUy  died  in  the  midst  of  plans  for 
the  colonizatiou  of  Acadia.  The  young  colony  soon  became 
merged  in  dissensions ;  instead  ot  engaging  in  the  work  of 
providing  for  their  wants  and  improving  their  surroundings, 
thoy  .separated  into  contending  factions,  and  carried  on  then* 
quarrois  with  the  most  bitter  animosity.  As  a  legitimate 
result,  after  foii,y  years  had  elapsed,  scarcely  a  family  had 
been  added  to  the  population  of  Acadia:  during  all  this  pe- 
riod New  England,  being  more  united  in  sentiment,  was 
rapidly  increasing  in  wealth  and  population 

After  the  death  of  Kazilly,  it  would  seem  that  Charnisey 
was  permitted,  by  the  rightful  heirs,  to  enter  into  posses- 
sion of  his  estates,  though  the  deed  of  transfer  was  not 
given  until  some  yeais  later.  One  of  his  tirst  acts  was  to 
take  possession  of  Port  lioyal,  erect  a  new  fort  there,  and 
remove  thither  a  portion  of  the  colonists  at  La  Heve.  He 
added  to  their  number  twenty  families  emigrating  from 
France.  Charles  La  Tour  was  occupying  the  fort  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  John  Eivor,  and  his  father  Claude  La 
Tour  was  holding  the  fortification  at  Port  La  Tour.  A  feud 
grew  up  between  La  Tour  and  Charnisey,  exceeding  in  bit- 
terness and  diiefui  consequences  the  wari'are  previously 
mentioned,  against  their  English  neighbors :  as  contentions 
between  kindred  are  apt  to  be  of  the  most  hostile  kind. 

The  site  of  La  Tour's  fort  was  on  the  west  bank  of  the  St. 
John,  at  its  mouth,  on  a  gentle  rise  of  ground  commanding 
the  bay  and  river.  On  the  west  side  of  the  harbor,  opposite 
Kavy  Island,  remains  of  earthworks  may  yet  be  seen,  mark- 
ing the  locations  of  the  bastions  of  the  fort.*  Traces  of  it 
however,  are  rapidly  disappearing,— the  rapidly  growing 
town  of  Carleton  having  already  utilized  most  of  its  site. 
The  fort  was  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  square,  compris- 

'  I'he  author  was  siiowu  these  nmrkings  in  the  summer  of  1880  through 
the  wurteey  of  Mr.  J.  Hanuny,  the  gcutlemanly  resident  historian,  who 
luui  given  much  utt«ntiuu  to  ituiin  in  Acuilian  hibtory. 


E'i 


66 


A0AO1& 


MV 


.  i' 


ing  four  bfisfions,  and  was  enclosed  by  palisades,  according 
to  the  prevai:ing  custom  of  those  early  times.  It  was  strong-- 
ly  built  of  stone,  and  contained  two  houses,  a  chapel,  mag- 
azine, and  stables  for  cattle.  Twenty  cannon  composed  the 
heavy  ordnance  of  the  fort.  In  this  savage  retreat  lived 
Charles  La  Tour,  affecting  a  style  and  show  of  military 
power  emulating  the  baronetcies  of  the  old  world.  The 
woods,  the  sea  and  the  streams,  furnished  an  abundance  of 
the  choicest  viands,  and  the  yearly  ship  brought  such  luxu- 
ries and  necessities  as  the  new  country  did  not  afford.  A 
course  of  military  drill  was  kept  up,  botli  as  a  display  and 
as  a  means  or  self-preservatiou, — in  addition  to  which,  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians  gave  employment  to  the  men.  Sur- 
rounded by  dense  woods  oi'  iir  and  larch,  full  of  howling 
beasts  and  wild  natives,  within  sound  and  yet  secure  from 
attack ;  but  more  suspxious  of  their  white  neighbors  ucrosa 
the  foggy  Bay  of  Fundy  : — the  seasons  came  and  went  in 
their  accustomed  rounds  :  doubtless  no  ruier  was  ever  more 
absolute  in  his  authority,  or  moie  careless  of  what  was  tran- 
spiring in  the  outer  world.  Hunters  and  tiappers,  both 
white  £ind  Indian,  frequented  the  fort,  to  dispose  of  their 
peltries  and  procure  the  necessities  of  life.  Many  an  even- 
ing was  spent  in  the  juidst  of  a  \igorou8  northern  winter, 
by  the  roaring  tire-places,  by  the  wild  fellows  of  tue  forest, 
smoking  their  pipes,  telling  of  tights  with  the  red  man,  of 
encounters  with  roaming  beasts  and  other  dangers  of  the 
woods.  Romantic  and  wild  must  such  a  life  have  been — as 
nearly  the  realization  of  the  dream  of  an  adventurer  as  could 
well  be  surmised.  Lady  La  Tour  must  iiave  lea  a  lonely 
life,  with  no  society  but  that  of  her  husband  and  chiidten. 
Once  a  year  the  ship  came  in — the  only  tie  that  bound  lier 
,  to  her  native  land — and  brought  h(  r  news  from  iiome,  and 
awakened  memories  of  her  native  Ciimt. 

La  Tour  and  Charuisey  eacli  held  u  u'onimission  as  Lieu- 
tenant from  the  King  of  France :  both  had  large  territories 


THB  LA    TOtTBS 


67 


and  were  engafjed  in  the  same  trade.  To  complicate  mat- 
ters, Charuisey's  fort  nt  Port  Royal  was  in  the  tract  grant- 
ed to  La  Tour,  while  La  Tour's  fort  at  St.  John  was  in  the 
limits  of  land  under  government  of  Charnisey,  and  also 
commanded  the  whole  of  the  St.  John  River  territory — a 
tract  rich  in  furs  and  abounding  in  fish.  It  was  not  un- 
natural that  Cliurnisey  should  inake  an  effort  to  disposs^re 
his  rival ;  his  first  attempt  was  by  diplomacy  before  the 
court  of  France.  He  succeeded  so  well  at  the  French  capi- 
tal, that  before  La  Tour  was  aware  of  what  Charnisey  had 
been  doing,  he  received  an  order  from  the  Kiug  to  embark 
immediately  for  France  to  answer  sundry  serious  charges 
against  him.  A  letter  was  sent  by  the  Kiug  directing  Char- 
nisey, in  case  La  Tour  failed  to  obey  the  oi'der,  to  seize  his 
person  and  make  an  inventory  of  his  eff-^cts.  To  accom- 
plish this  he  was  empowered  to  exercise  all  the  means  at  his 
disposal,  and  to  jiut  La  Trur's  fort  in  the  hands  of  persons 
well  disposed  to  do  the  King's  service.  By  one  fell  stroke, 
withont  being  allowed  the  privilege  of  defense.  La  Tour 
wan  to  be  robbed  of  his  possession'^,  and  sent  a  prisoner  to 
franco.  Not  long  after  this  he  was  still  farther  degraded 
by  havuig  his  commission  of  Governor  revoked — a  commis- 
sion he  liad  held  with  credit  for  half  a  score  of  years. 

A  vessel  was  sent  to  Acadia  bearing  these  letters  to  La 
Tour,  and  was  intended  by  the  King  to  convey  La  Tour  a 
prisoner  to  France.  The  latter,  not  without  reason,  aver- 
red that  these  papers  were  obtained  from  the  King  through 
misrepresentation;  and  though  by  refusing  to  obey  the 
royal  mandate  he  was  aware  he  made  himself  liable  to  a 
charge  of  treason,  he  boldly  declined  giving  up  his  property. 
His  fort  at  St.  John  was  in  such  a  state  of  defense  that 
Charnisey  dare  not  attack ;  the  vessel  was  sent  back  with- 
out its  prisoner. 

La  Tour  had  maintained  himself  in  Acadia,  by  his  energy 
and  tact  alone,  for  many  years  ;  he  was  of  a  cast  of  mind  to 


1 


1     • 


fl'l 


''!< 


;i!!lll» 


'        I 


I    , 


■' 


C8 


ACADIA 


maintain  himself  as  long  as  he  had  power  to  do  so.  Legal 
documents,  usually  so  all-powerful,  were  not  much  feared 
where  there  was  uo  force  to  back  them.  Charnisey  knew 
he  could  not  dispossess  his  rival  without  aid  from  France, 
and  .scon  returned  to  that  country  to  make  another  effort 
against  him. 

La  Tour  \\as  well  aware  that  Charnisey  had  powerful 
friends  at  Court — and  further  that  he  was  an  accomplished 
diplomatist.  lie  began  therefore  to  prepare  for  the  strug- 
gle thai  he  knew  was  sure  to  come.  He  had  openly  defied 
th<<  authority  of  the  King,  and  he  must  expect  the  conse- 
queiicefs  of  his  disobedience,  unless  he  could  devise  means 
of  escape.  He  determined  to  seek  help  from  his  neighbors 
of  New  Eng.iind,  with  whom  he  was  then  on  good  terms, 
and  in  November,  1641,  sent  as  messenger  a  Huguenot 
named  Roeliette  to  Boston  to  confer  with  them.  Rochette 
proposed  a  treaty  between  Massachusetts  Bay  and  La  Tour. 
Governor  "Winthrop  informs  us  the  treaty  was  to  embrace 
three  points : 

1. — Free  commerce. 

2. — Assistance  against  Charnisey,  with  whom  La  Tour 
had  war. 

3. — That  La  Tour  might  make  return  of  goods  out  of 
England  through  the  merchants  of  Boston. 

The  first  condition  was  immediately  granted ;  the  other 
two  were  rejected  because  Rochette  brought  with  him  no 
letters  or  commission  from  La  Tour,  and,  therefore,  no  evi- 
dence had  been  offered  of  his  official  capaiity.  Rochette 
was  courteously  entertained  by  the  people  of  Boston  duiing 
his  stay. 

In  October  of  the  following  year.  La  Tour  sent  liis  lieu- 
tenant to  Boston  with  a  shallop  and  foiu'teen  men.  This 
time  he  bore  letters  from  La  Tour  to  Governor  Winthrop, 
highly  complimenting  his  Governorship,  and  requesting  the 


THE   LA   T0ITR8 


69 


people  of  New  England  to  assist  him  against  his  enemy, 
Charnisey.  These  Frenchmen  were  grandly  entertained  by 
the  Bostonians ;  the  best  of  feelings  sprang  up  between 
them — e?en  the  Catholic  French  attended  the  Protestant 
chinches — but  no  measures  were  taken  to  grant  the  assist- 
ance asked  for. 

La  Tour's  lieutenant,  while  in  Boston,  formed  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  merchants,  and  proposed  the  opening 
up  of  a  trade.  In  conformity  therewith  the  mercliants  sent 
a  pinnace  to  Fort  La  Tour,  laden  with  goods.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  a  trade  with  them  which  lasted  as  long  as 
La  Tour  remained  in  Acadia.  La  Tour  sent  a  letter  to  Gov- 
ernor Winthiop,  thanking  him  for  tlie  courteous  manner  in 
which  his  lieutenant  had  been  treated.  On  the  way  back 
the  vessel  stopped  at  Pemaquid.  Here  La  Tour's  messen- 
gers met  with  Charnisey — the  latter  gentleman  told  them 
the  letter  was  from  a  rebel.  He  sent  a  printed  copy  of  the 
order  for  La  Tour's  arrest  to  Governor  Winthrop,  and 
threatened,  if  the  merchants  of  Boston  sent  more  vessels  to 
trade  with  La  Tour,  he  would  seize  them  as  lawful  prizes. 

This  order  of  arrest  was  the  result  of  Charnisey's  last 
voyage  to  France.  He  had  succeeded  in  securing  title  to 
large  territories  in  Acadia,  on  which  title  he  had  borrowed 
large  sums  to  enable  him  to  cari-y  on  war  against  La  Tour. 
He  was  now  determined  on  one  great  effort,  a.id  had  secur- 
ed means  to  employ  iive  ships  and  a  force  of  five  hundred 
armed  men  in  this  bitter  feud. 

In  the  meantiiue  La  Tour  was  not  idle.  He  dispatched 
Rochette  to  France  to  obtain  aid.  His  cause  was  espoused 
with  ardor  by  the  Rochellois,  who  determined  on  going  to 
his  rescue.  They  fitted  out  a  large  armed  vessel,  the  "67«m- 
«?«<,"  loaded  her  with  ammunition  and  other  supplies,  pi;ton 
board  one  hundred  armed  Rochellois,  and  sent  her  with  all 
speed  to  La  Tour's  fort.  Thus  was  civil  war  in  Acadia  fed 
ou  both  sides  from  Fiance — swords  being  shaped  at  Ro- 


'1 


[)^ 


■  k 


TO 


AOADIA 


chelle  aud  at  Paris  with  which  to  carry  on  this^  frafrlcidal 
strife.  Clouds  of  fate,  dark  and  o.ninous,  brooded  over  the 
future  of  La  Tour,  yet  he  continued  to  maintain  the  strug- 
gle with  courage  unabated. 

Early  in  June,  1643,  an  armed  vessel  suddenly  appeared 
in  the  harbor  of  Boston.  Scarcely  was  her  presence  noted 
until  she  had  passed  Castle  Island  and  she  had  thundered 
forth  a  salute  which  echoed  long  and  loud  over  the  little 
Puritan  town.  There  was  no  response — the  Governor's 
garrison  being  withdrawn,  A  boat  filled  with  armed  men 
was  seen  to  leave  tiie  ships  side^  and  was  rapidly  rowed  to 
Governors  Island,  landing  at  Gov.  Winthrop's  gai'den.  The 
boat  was  there  met  by  the  Governor  and  his  two  sons,  who 
found  tlie  passengers  to  be  La  Tour  and  a  party  of  his  fol- 
lowers, come  to  solicit  aid. 

Early  in  the  spring  Charnisey  had  appeared  before  Fort 
La  Tour  with  several  vessels  of  wai'  aud  five  hundred  men. 
"Unable  to  carry  the  works  by  assault,  blockade  was  resurt- 
ed  to,  until  such  time  as  the  necessities  of  the  garrison 
should  force  a  capitulation.  In  a  few  weeks  the  Cltintnt 
appealed  off  St.  John  harbor,  with  men  and  supplies  for  La 
Tour,  but  was  unable  to  enter  on  account  of  the  blockade. 
Under  cover  of  night  La  Tour  stole  out  of  the  fort  and 
boarding  the  Clement,  crowded  sail  for  Boston^  where  he 
airived  after  a  speedy  passage. 

Gov.  Wintbrop  hastily  called  together  such  of  the  Mag- 
istrates as  were  at  hand,  and  gave  La  Tour  a  formal  hearing 
before  them.  The  papers  of  the  Clement  showed  La  Tour 
was  still  styled  "her  majesty's  lieutenant  general  in  America,^* 
which  was  regarded  as  an  offset  to  the  order  for  his  aries) 
showed  by  Charnisey.  He  was  informed  by  the  Governof 
and  Couucil,  that  while  no  aid  could  be  opeuiy  granted 
without  the  advice  of  the  other  members  of  the  Govern- 
ment, he  was  at  liberty  to  hire  such  men  and  shij^s  as  were 
in  Boston.    The  Boston  meicbants  were  aware  that  their 


TRK  LA  toxma 


71 


trade  would  be  injured  by  the  destruction  of  La  Tour,  and 
the  latter  found  no  difiSculty  in  secuiing  the  assistance  he 
wanted.  He  hired  four  vessels  of  the  firm  of  Gibbons  & 
Hawkins,  the  Srahri'lge,  Philip  and  Mary,  Increase,  and 
the  Greyliound,  together  with  fifty-two  men  and  thirty- 
eight  pieces  of  ordnance;  enlisted  ninety-two  men  to  aug- 
ment the  force  on  beard  his  vessel,  provided  all  with  arms 
and  supplies,  and  was  about  to  set  sail  with  his  flotilla  for 
Acadia,  when  a  new  danger  beset  him. 

By  the  articles  of  agreement,  the  shijjs  were  not  required 
to  undertake  any  oflfeusive  operations.  It  was  stipulated 
they  were  to  go  as  near  Fort  La  Tour  as  they  could  con- 
veniently ride  at  anchor,  and  join  with  the  Clement  in  the 
defense  of  themselves  or  La  Tour,  in  case  Charnisey  should 
assault,  or  oppose  their  approach  to  the  fort.  Any  addi- 
ticnial  assistance  was  to  be  a  subject  of  further  negotiation, 
the  agent  of  the  Boston  owners  accompanying  the  expedi- 
tion for  the  purpose.  Doubtless  the  wily  Frenchman  sur- 
mised, that  in  case  of  open  hostilities,  the  heat  of  the  strife 
■would  cause  them  to  forget  the  precise  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment, and  induce  them  to  join  with  him  in  annil  '-^ting  the 
enemy.  The  newM  soon  spread,  however,  that  VVinthrop 
had  formed  an  allifj"oe  with  the  French  Papist,  and  many 
lei.ters  of  warning  iiid  deprecation  were  showered  upon  the 
Governor.  Sevend  ministers  referred  to  the  matter  from 
their  pulpits,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  prophesy  that  the 
streets  of  their  town  would  yet  run  red  witn  blood,  in  con- 
sequence of  this  alliance  with  La  Tour,  and  public  senti- 
ment ran  so  high  that  it  seemed  the  expedition  would  be 
broken  up  altogether.  In  the  midst  of  this  clamor,  Gov. 
V;inthrop  called  another  council,  to  whom  he  stated  the 
condition  of  afiFairs,  which  had  been  grossly  misrepresent- 
ed, and  the  question  was  fully  discussed. 

Thu  Puritans  regarded  the  Old  Testament  as  their  guide. 
Que  party  claimed,  by  the  examples  of  Jehoshaphat,  Jonas 


72 


ACADIA 


"Jill 


m 


II 


I    ," 


^r'irfl!ll!i 

ha 


fi  '' 


IMIIII!!!!  I|!i 
IIHIIIIIlll 


ill  I ' 


M 


and  Amaziah,  that  it  was  wrong  for  righteous  persons  to  as- 
sociate with  the  ungodly  in  any  way.  The  other  side  con- 
tended that  the  censure  applied  only  to  the  particular  cases 
in  which  it  was  given,  and  were  not  general  in  application ; 
otherwise  it  would  be  unlawful  to  help  a  wicked  man  in  any 
case.  The  latter  party  seems  to  have  had  the  best  of  the 
argument,  and  the  expedition  was  allowed  to  pi'oceed. 

La  Tour  bore  away  from  the  port  of  Boston  about  the 
middle  of  July,  having  made  a  host  of  friends  during  his 
slay.  He  made  all  speed  for  Acadia,  and  there  was  reason 
for  haste,  for  during  this  entire  period  Charnisey  had  cut  i)ff 
all  supplies  from  La  Tour's  fort,  supposing  his  enemy  to  be 
within. 

When  La  Tour's  fleet  of  five  ships  came  in  sight  off  St. 
John,  Charnisey's  vessels  were  lying  alongside  Partridge 
Island.  Suspecting  the  true  state  of  affairs,  Charnisey  did 
not  care  to  measure  strength  with  the  allied  powers,  but 
stood  straight  for  Port  Royal,  and  running  his  vessels 
aground,  he  and  his  men  betook  themselves  to  the  shore, 
where  they  proceeded  to  put  the  mill  in  a  state  of  defense. 
The  enemy  pursued;  Captain  Hawkins  sent  an  officer 
on  shore  bearing  an  apologetic  letter  explaining  the  pres- 
ence of  the  New  Englanders.  Charnisey  refused  to  receive 
it  because  it  was  not  addressed  to  him  as  Lieutenant  of  Aca- 
dia. When  the  messenger  returned,  he  reported  great  ter- 
ror among  the  French,  the  friars  included,  and  all  were  do- 
ing their  best  to  put  themselves  in  a  position  of  defense. 

La  Tour  urged  Hawkins  to  send  a  force  ashore  and  attack 
the  mill ;  this  the  latter  declined  to  do ;  if  any  of  the  New 
Englanders  chose  to  go  of  their  own  accord,  he  would  do 
nothing  to  prevent  it.  About  thirty  Bostonians  availed 
themselves  of  the  permission,  and  the  united  forces  marched 
to  the  attack  of  Charnisey  at  his  improvised  fortress.  After 
a  sharp  engagement,  during  which  the  besieged  suffere.l  the 
loss  of  three  men  killed  and  one  taken  prisoner,  and  three 


THE  LA    TOVRS 


79 


of  La  Tour's  men  were  wounded,  Charnisey  was  driven  from 
the  iiiill.  The  New  Englanders  escaped  without  the  loss  of 
a  man. 

The  allied  forces  now  returned  to  Fort  La  Tour,  where 
we  may  conjecture  their  victory  was  duly  celebrated.  Dur- 
ing the  period  they  were  lying  there,  a  pinnace  belonging 
to  Charnisey  was  captured,  having  on  board  fom*  hundred 
moose  hides  and  a  like  number  of  skins  of  the  beaver.  This 
was  a  rare  prize ;  the  booty  was  divided  between  the  New 
England  owners  and  crews,  and  La  Tour.  Hawkins  was 
evidenth'  willing  to  rob  Charnisey,  if  not  to  fight  him.  La 
Tour  paid  off  the  vessels  and  crews  that  had  been  hired, 
and  the  New  Englanders  reached  home  in  thirty-seven  days 
from  the  time  they  had  left  Boston,  in  high  spirits,  without 
the  loss  of  a  man  or  ship.  The  good  Puritan  elders  were 
shocked  at  the  piratical  seizure  of  the  French  pinnace,  and 
claimed  the  expedition  had  done  too  much  or  too  little ; — 
thty  ought  either  to  have  remained  neutral  in  the  war,  or 
else  taken  measures  to  effectually  crush  out  the  rival  of  La 
Tour. 

Charnisey,  not  disheartened,  commenced  the  erection  of 
a  new  fort  at  Port  Royal,*  and  returned  to  France  for  fur- 
ther aid.  He  there  heard  of  the  arrival  of  Lady  La  Tour, 
who  had  sailed  for  France  to  further  her  husband's  interests 
and  procure  supplies.  Charnisey  obtained  an  order  for  her 
ai'rest  on  the  ground  that  she  was  equally  a  traitor  to  the 
King  with  her  husband  ;  before  the  order  could  be  executed 
she  fled  to  England.  Here  she  soon  made  many  warm 
friends,  and  found  means  to  freight  a  ship  with  supplies  in 
London,  ando  forewarn  her  husband  of  the  danger  he  was 
in  from  the  efforts  of  Charnisey. 

For  many  weeks  La  Tour,  almost  desparing,  waited  by 


•  1  assume  that  Charnisey 's  old  fort  was  on  the  site  of  Champlain's  fort, 
opposite  Goat  Island,  and  that  tlie  new  fort  was  built  on  the  now  ruiuod 
CortificationB  of  Annapolis.     (Hannay.) 


I 


If ' 


;,    t 


74 


ACADIA 


the  River  St.  John  for  the  return  of  his  wife.  He  finally 
sailed  for  Boston  where  he  made  known  to  Endicott  his 
difficulties.  A  meeting  of  the  magistrates  was  called  ;  a  few 
were  unwilling  to  operate  in  favor  of  La  Tour,  and  the  rest 
would  not  act  without  the  consent  of  all ;  La  Tour  was  forc- 
ed to  return  without  the  coveted  assistance.  All  the  New 
Eiiglanders  did  was  to  send  a  letter  of  remonstrance  to 
Cha)'nisey.  La  Tour  left  Boston  early  in  Sei^tember,  hav- 
ing spent  two  months  to  very  little  purpose.  He  boarded 
his  vessel  on  training  day,  and  all  the  training  bands  were 
made  guard  for  him  to  the  ship's  boat ;  as  he  sailed  out  of 
the  harbor  the  Eiigiish  vessels  saluted  him.  He  was  accom- 
panied bj'  a  Boston  vessel  laden  with  provisions  for  St. 
John.  La  Tour  happeniug  to  delay  on  the  way,  by  that 
means  narrowly  escaped  capture  by  an  armed  vessel  that 
Charnisey  had  sent  to  cruise  the  Bay  of  Fundy  on  the  watch 
for  him  ;  but  which,  on  the  supposition  he  had  escaped,  had 
put  into  port. 

Scarcely  had  the  pennants  of  La  Tour's  vessels  sank  be- 
low the  distant  horizon,  before  a  vessel  displaying  English 
colors  came  into  Boston  Harbor.  Among  her  passengers 
were  Roger  Williams  and  Lady  La  Tour.  This  notable 
lady  had  left  England  six  months  before  together  with  sup- 
plies on  board  this  vessel,  with  a  destination  at  Fort  La 
Tour.  The  master  had  spent  some  time  trading  on  the 
coast ;  it  was  September  when  they  reached  Cape  Sable ;  as 
the  vessel  was  entering  the  Bay  of  Fundy  it  was  captured 
by  an  armed  ship  in  the  employ  of  Charnisey.  It  was  found 
necessary  to  secrete  Lady  La  Tour  and  her  party,  and  to  con- 
ceal the  identity  of  the  vessel — the  master  pretending  she 
was  bound  direct  for  Boston.  Charnisey,  little  suspecting 
the  valuable  prize  he  had  in  his  possession,  let  them  go, 
contenting  himself  with  sending  a  message  to  the  Governor 
of  Massachusetts  expressing  a  desire  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  that  c<.'louy.    The  vessel  was  therefore  forced  to  change 


TBI   LA   TOUSS 


n 


le  finally 
licott  his 
)cl ;  a  few 
1  the  rest 
was  f  orc- 
the  New 
lauce  to 
ber,  hav- 

boarded 
ads  were 
d  out  of 
IS  accom- 
}  for  St. 

by  that 
!ssel  that 
;he  watch 
[iped,  had 

sauk  be- 

English 

isseijgcrs 

notable 
vith  sup- 
Fort  La 
y  on  the 
able ;  as 
laptured 
as  found 
d  to  con- 
ling  she 
specting 

em  go, 

overnor 
i  terms 

change 


'■&y 


the  destination  of  her  voyage  to  Boston.  This  change  in 
the  voyage,  added  to  unreasonable  delay,  was  made  the 
basis  of  an  action  at  law  brou^4ht  by  Lady  La  Tour  for  dam- 
ages. She  was  awarded  two  thousand  pounds;  seizing  the 
cargo  of  the  ship,  she,  with  the  money  thus  acquired,  hired 
three  vessels  to  take  the  cargo  and  herself  home,  where  she 
safely  arrived  uiter  an  absence  of  more  than  a  year. 

When  Charnisey  was  apprized  of  Lady  La  Tour's  safe 
arrival  at  her  fort,  and  her  friendly  treatment  at  Boston,  his 
rage  knew  no  bounds.  He  directed  an  insulting  letter  to 
Governor  Eudicott,  accusing  him  of  dealing  with  a  lack  of 
honor  ;  threatening  him  with  the  dire  vengeance  of  the  King 
of  France.  Charnisey  soon  disji^ayed  his  vindicative  spirit 
in  a  practical  way  ;  a  small  vessel  sent  out  from  Boston  with 


I'AUTUIUliJi    181, AND. 


supplies  for  Fort  La  Tour  was  captured,  and  the  crew  all 
turned  loose  upon  Partridge  Island,  in  deep  snow,  without 
fire,  or  scarcely  a  shelter,  where  they  wftie  kept  close  pris- 
oners ten  days.  Charnisey  then  gave  them  an  old  shallop 
in  which  to  return  home ;  after  stripping  them  of  most  of 
their  clothes,  and  allowing  them  neither  gun  nor  compass, 
they  were  suffered  to  depart  for  Boston,  which  they  at  last 
reached  in  sorry  plight. 

The  New  Englanders  were  highly  incensed  at  this  out- 
rage. The  Puritan  Governor  dispatched  a  messenger  in  a 
vessel  to  Charnisey  bearing  a  letter  full  of  spirit;  he  said 
his  people  meant  to  do  right,  and  feared  not  the  King  of 
France.     Charnisey  told  the  messenger  he  would  retuiu  no 


I'' 


hi 


I  IF 


7B 


AOADU 


answer,  and  would  not  permit  him  to  enter  the  fort — ^lodg- 
ing bim  without  the  gate.  He,  however,  dined  with  him 
every  day  to  show  the  messenfjer  it  was  only  as  the  bearer 
of  Endicott's  letter  that  he  disowned  him.  Finally  he  in- 
dited a  letter  to  Gov.  Kndic-ott,  couched  in  high  language, 
requiring  satisfaction  for  the  burning  of  his  mill  by  the  New 
England  anxiiiavies  of  La  Tour  two  ycais  previous,  and 
threatening  vtiigearice  in  case  his  demands  were  not  met. 

At  the  time  the  crew  of  the  Boston  vessel  were  fighting 
cold  and  hunger  at  Partridge  Isla.id,  two  friai's  hailed  Char- 
nisey's  ships  from  the  mainland  and  desired  to  be  taken  on 
board.  They  came  from  Fort  La  Tour,  and  had  been  turn- 
ed out  for  showing  signs  of  disaffection.  Had  Lady  La 
Tour  hung  thexn  instead,  the  sequel  to  this  story  might  have 
beeu  different.  They  told  Charnisey  that  was  the  time  for 
him  to  attack;  that  La  Tour  was  absent,  the  fort  rotten, 
with  only  fifty  men  to  guard  it,  and  susceptible  of  an  easy 
reduction.  On  their  i*epresentations  Chai^nisey  drew  up  his 
armament,  ranged  the  vessels  in  front  of  the  fort,  and  open- 
ed a  brisk  cannonade.  The  fire  was  returned  with  such 
vigor  that  Charuisey  was  obliged  to  warp  his  vessel  behind 
a  point  of  land  out  of  range,  and  lost  twenty  men  killed  and 
thirteen  wounded.     This  was  in  Februaiy,  1645. 

In  April  of  the  same  year  Charnisey  made  another  attack 
from  the  land  side.  La  Tour  was  still  absent — his  mission 
to  New  England  to  secure  aid  had  proved  fioiitless,  and  he 
could  not  reach  home  on  account  of  armed  cruisers  waiting 
to  capture  him.  Three  days  and  nights  the  attack  contin- 
ued ;  the  heroic  lady  commandant  was  resolved  to  hold  out 
to  the  last ;  the  defense  was  so  well  conducted  that  the  be- 
siegers were  forced  to  draw  off  with  loss.  Treachery  accom- 
plished what  heroism  could  not.  Charnisey  found  means 
to  bribe  a  Swiss  sentry  while  the  garrison  were  at  prayers, 
who  allowed  the  enemy  to  approach  the  fort  without  giving 
the  alarm,  and  who  were  scaling  the  walls  before  the  besieged 


i  hi 


THE  t\  Tonns 


77 


fort — ^lodg- 
i  with  him 
the  bearer 
ally  he  in- 
1  language, 
by  the  New 
BviouH,  and 
not  met. 
re  lighting 
lailed  Char- 
e  taken  ou 
been  turu- 
1  Lady  La 
might  have 
le  time  for 
ort  rotten, 
of  an  easy 
hew  up  his 
,  and  open- 

with  Buch 
sel  behind 

killed  and 

her  attack 
is  mission 
s,  and  he 
8  waiting 
k  contin- 
hold  out 
at  the  be- 
^ry  accom- 
nd  means 
prayers, 
)ut  giving 
besieged 


were  aware  of  the  attack.  But  even  then  the  heroism  of 
Lady  La  Tour  repulsed  them,  and  CLuiniHoy  lost  twelve 
men  killed  and  iminy  wounded,  while  fighting  within  the 
fort.  Charuisty  now  propoised  terms  of  cttpitiilntion  ;  Lady 
La  Tour,  despairing  of  successful  resistance,  acce^ited,  and 
the  besiegers  were  given  possession. 

No  sooner  did  Cliarnisey  find  himself  master  of  the  place 
than  he  disciosad  all  the  baseness  of  his  character.  On  pre- 
tense that  ho  had  been  deceived,  he  caused  all  the  garrison 
to  be  hung  but  ouc,  whuui  he  spared  on  condition  thiit  he 
should  be  the  executioner  of  his  comrades.  Lady  La  Tour 
Butfeied  the  indignity  of  being  forced  to  be  present  at  the 
execution  witli  a  rope  about  her  neck,  by  way  of  shov.'iug 
that  he  considered  her  as  deserving  of  hanging  as  were  the 
others,  but  that  hei'  life  was  spared  only  by  his  gi'acious 
for  beaiance. 

This  broke  the  spkit  of  this  remarkable  lady ;  she  surviv- 
ed the  fall  of  the  fort  only  about  three  weeks,  when  she  waa 
laid  to  rebt  on  the  banks  of  St.  John.  This  noble  wife  and 
mother  left  behind  a  little  ehild  which  was  sent  to  France  ; 
but  as  no  further  mention  is  made  of  it^  the  supposition  ia 
thur.  it  died  young.* 

The  booty  taken  by  Charnisey  in  La  Tour's  fort  amount- 
ed to  more  than  £10,000.  Thi.s  loss  ruined  La  Tour;  and 
Charnisey  had  become  so  much  involved  by  the  expense  of 
the  war,  that  he  could  not  hope  to  liquidate  his  own  indebt- 
edness. Thus  were  both  men  ruined  by  a  useless  and  fool- 
ish war  again'- 1  one  another,  when  both  otherwise  might 
have  become  wealthy. 

La  Tour  was  in  Boston  wheii  the  news  of  the  reduction 
of  his  fort  and  the  death  of  his  wife  reached  him.  Being 
by  nature  of  a  hopeful  spiiit,  he  was  not  the  man  to  yield 
to  misfortune ;  his  addiess  procured  friends  wherever  he 

*  Uaimay.  i 


7S 


ACADIA 


:(■■ 


I 


i 


ti; 


iliii' 


P 


(i':- 


went ;  in  his  greatest  straits  ue  never  wanted  for  mcmey  t>J 
supply  bis  immediate  necessities.  He  applied  to  Sir  Duvid 
Kirk,  Governor  of  Newfoundland,  who  express  -d  a  willing- 
ness to  render  the  required  aid,  but  whose  r-roiiises  were 
not  fulfilled :  towards  Sj  ring  the  merchantB  of  Boston  fit- 
ted him  out  with  supplies  for  a  trading  voyage  to  the  east- 
ward. 

In  the  summer  of  1646,  we  hear  of  La  Tour  in  Quebec, 
where  ho  was  received  with  marked  honors.  The  guns  of 
the  citadel  thundered  forth  a  salute ;  the  gan  iaon  was  drawn 
up  to  receive  him  in  a  manner  worthy  of  one  of  high  rank  ; 
the  whole  populace  turned  out  to  behold  the  man  oi  whom 
they  had  heard  so  much ;  in  short,  the  civic  and  nulit;iry 
vied  with  each  other  in  their  expressions  of  hosi'itality  and 
vespect.  How  stran^w  and  unaccountable  are  the  woi'kiii<j[S 
of  human  passion  and  prejudice,  as  exemplified  in  the  treat- 
ment La  Tour  at  various  times  received  from  his  country- 
men ; — at  one  time  we  behold  him  hunted  down  as  a:i  out- 
law, at  another  he  is  entertained  in  the  style  of  a  prince — 
all  under  the  laws  of  the  same  Empire. 

Charnisey  had  now  nearly  attained  the  summit  of  his  am- 
bition. He  had  driven  his  rival  out  of  the  country;  he  was 
received  with  the  favors  and  smiles  of  royalty  at  hoE\e ;  a 
Ireuty  had  been  definitely  settled  with  tlie  colony  of  Masi-a- 
chusetts ;  and  he  now  was  the  undisputed  monarch  of  an 
extent  of  territory  half  the  size  of  France.  He  built  mills, 
dykod  the  marshes,  constructed  vessels  to  carry  on  his  com- 
niorce ; — thus  were  his  dominions  daily  growing  in  strength 
atd  opulence. 

One  conquest  more,  however,  was  necessary  before  his 
thirst  for  power  could  be  satisfied.  Nicolas  Deuys,  a  friend 
and  intimate  associate  of  Charnisey,  had  been  appouited 
'•  Governor  of  the  whole  coast  of  the  Galf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
and  tijo  islands  adjacent,"  and  it  was  to  dispossess  him  oi 
this  teiritory  that  Charnibey  now  turn.'^d  his  attention.     Ue 


TKB   LA    TOrRS 


79 


fitted  out  a  fleet,  and  dispatching  it  against  his  old  friend 
Denj's,  seized  all  of  his  forts,  captured  his  gocla,  broke  up 
his  tishing  tstublishments,  and  ruined  his  settlers.  Past 
f)i(Mulship  aval  ed  nothing  with  the  cold-hearted  and  rapa- 
cious conqueror. 

('harnisey  was  at  length  vanquished  by  a  foe  he  coiild 
not  subdue.  In  1G"0,  he  mot  a  violent  death  by  drowning 
in  Poi"t  Royal  Kivtr.  Ntither  history  nor  tradition  gives 
auy  particulars  of  the  event  further  than  is  given  in  these 
few  words.  AVhether  tlie  occnrrencB  was  prenioditated  on 
his  pait,  or  that  of  some  one  he  hiu!  t^eepiy  wronged,  or  was 
the  lesult  of  accicient,  will  perliaiM  tver  remain  a  mystery. 
He  had,  in  his  life,  been  haid  and  cruel,  incapable  of  pily, 
and  destitute  of  remorse  for  his  treachery  toward  the  heroic 
Lady  La  Tour.  Though  trrated  witli  sucii  high  favor  wlien 
at  the  French  court,  liis  influence  there  did  not  survive  him 
a  single  day; — indeed,  it  was  said  there  was  not  a  friend  to 
be.  found  iu  all  France  who  would  sjxak  for  liim.  Denys, 
his  coteniporary,  speaks  only  of  his  rapacity,  cruelty,  and 
tyranny. 

News  of  Chnrnisey'b  death  having  reacheti  La  Tour,  the 
latter  lost  no  time  in  sailing  tor  Franca  A  living  man  has 
good  chauje  of  success  when  conaontod  by  a  dead  rival, 
and  &o  it  proved  in  this  case.  La  Tour  speedily  secuired  an 
accjuittal  of  the  charges  jigain.t  him,  and  obti;in((d  a  new 
commission  with  additional  rights  ;  and  thus  with  character 
cleared,  and  endowed  with  the  fullest  powers  a  sovereign 
could  bestou-,  h.-  once  more  returned  absolute  monarch  of 
Acadia. 

La  T  ur  took  possession  of  his  old  fort  at  the  mouth  of 
the  ht.  Juh)i,  the  widow  of  Charnisey  meanwhile  remaiiiing 
with  lier  clhidren  at  Fort  Uoyal.  Tliat  lady  beginning  to 
view  with  alarm  La  Tour's  pretentions  to  the  country,  enter 
ed  into  an  agieement  with  the  Duke  da  Vtndome,  a  reputed 
son  of  Henry  lY,  who  for  a  consideration  was  to  aid  her  ia 


'I 


>!' 


8a 


ACADIA 


I     I' 


recovering  her  possessions.  This  agreement  having-  receiv- 
ed the  sanction  of  letters  patent  from  the  government  of 
France,  the  skies  of  La  Tour'^s  prosperity  began  to  be  dark- 
ened by  portents  of  a  coming  tempest.  The  matter  was 
righted  without  the  shedding  of  blood  by  a  mutual  agree- 
ment between  the  principals  in  the  quarrel  r  that  is  to  say^ 
La  Tour  married  the  widow  of  Charnisey,  and  united  their 
varied  inteiests  into  one.  Articles  of  agreement  were  drawn 
up  with  great  minuteness  of  detail^  and  the  marriage  was 
Boleranized  in  the  presence  of  many  august  witnesses.  La 
Tour  had  now  passed  his  fiftipth  year,  and  no  doubt  rejoiced 
at  the  prospect  of  peace,  in  which,  however,  he  was  doomed 
to  further  disappointment. 

This  adverse  fortune  was  embodied  ia  the  person  of  Le 
Eorgue,  a  mcrt'Jiant  of  Ruchelle,  who  had  obtained  judg- 
n»cnt  in  the  courts  against  Cliarnisey  for  money  advanced 
him,  to  the  amount  of  IGO.OOO  livres,  and  who  had  come  out 
to  Acadia  to  take  possession  of  Charnisey's  estate,  which 
he  understood  embraced  all  of  Acadia. 

LeBorgne  bc{;an  operations  by  plundering  the  settlements 
on  the  Laurentian  Gulf  belongiug  to  Nicolas  Denys,  as 
Charnisey  had  done  before  him,  capturing  vessels  and  car- 
goes, and  taking  Denys  and  his  men  prisoners.  They  oanio 
by  way  of  La  Hcve,  where  they  burned  all  the  buildings, 
not  sparing  even  tiie  chapel,  Denys  was  placed  in  a  dun- 
geon at  Port  Royal,  but  was  pfterwards  liberated,  when  bo 
returned  to  France  ;  he  was  in  due  time  restored  to  his 
rights,  and  eventually  to  his  possessions,  on  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  from  which  he  had  twice  been  ruthlessly  torn. 

Le  Borgne's  success  in  this  warlike  exploit  emboldened 
him  to  undertake  another — no  less  than  the  capture  of  Fort 
La  Tour.  This  he  attempted  to  do  by  strategy,  but  a  slial- 
lop  having  secretly  left  Port  Royal  with  information  of  Lo 
Bor{,no"8  intentions,  the  enterprise  failed.  Before  the  \\:ir 
could  be  carried  further  an  English  fleet  appeared  upon  the 


'    Pf 


••  I 


THE  LA  TOURS 


81 


Bcpne,  and  both  La  Tour  and  Le  Borgne  capitulated  to  the 
superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

The  seizure  of  Acatlia  was  welcome  news  to  the  New  Eng- 
landers,  who  had  looked  with  alarm  at  the  growth  of  a  ri- 
val colony  in  the  new  world.  Cromwell  seems  to  have  jus- 
tified the  act,  and  a  government  was  organized  for  the  con- 
trol of  affairs  in  the  new  territniial  acquisition.  It  was 
arranged  that  whosoever  traded  with  the  colony  should  pay 
enough  for  the  privilege  to  support  the  garrison ;  Massa- 
chusetts was  asked  to  enforce  the  law,  and  assist  the  Eng- 
lish in  Acadia  if  necessity  reqiiircd. 

La  Tour  resolved  on  one  more  grand  effort  to  retrieve 
his  fortunes.  Hasten-ng  to  England  he  laid  his  cause  be- 
fore Cromwell,  showing  how,  as  co-grantee  and  heir  of  his 
father,  he  was  entitled  to  large  possessions  in  Acadia  by 
grunt  of  the  British  Crown  through  Sir  William  Alexander; 
his  well  known  plausibility  and  address  secured  for  him  a 
triumphant  success.  The  Acadian  diplomat,  having  asso- 
ciated with  hiiu  Thomas  Temple  and  William  Crowne,  and 
secured  a  large  grant  of  territory,  next  sold  out  his  interest 
to  his  partners,  probably  fearing  the  dissensions  that  would 
sooner  or  later  occur.  He  evidently  regarded  a  title  of  an 
estate  in  Acadia  as  very  precarious  property,  so  much  in 
dispute,  and  so  frequently  changing  masterf.  La  Tour 
lived  about  thirteen  years  after  this,  dying  at  the  ripe  age 
of  72,  and  was  buried  in  the  beloved  Acadian  land  which 
had  been  hi.s  home  from  his  boyhood. 

Temple  was  made  Governor  of  the  forts  at  St.  John  and 
Penobscot,  and  commenced  the  expenditures  of  large  sums 
of  money  in  improvements.  In  the  meantime,  the  home 
government  having  been  changed.  Temple  was  in  danger 
ot  losing  his  title.  He  was  obliged  to  compronjise  witli  a 
Frenchman  named  Thomas  Elliot,  by  an  annual  payment  of 
six  hundred  pounds.  He  found  it  necessary  also  to  return 
to  England  to  defend  his  interests,  one  Captain  Breodoa 


11 


!1  I: 

i;  j     ■ 

'  I 
li ; 

l!     1.(1 


k 


J 


82 


AOADIA 


having  been  appointed  Governor  in  his  place.  In  July,  1667, 
the  famous  treaty  of  Breda  was  signed,  by  which  insti'iiment 
England  ceded  to  France  all  the  province  of  Acadia.  Temple 
was  ordered  to  deliver  up  Pentagoet,  St.  John,  Port  Royal, 
Cape  Sable  and  La  Huve,  to  the  person  appointed  to  receive 
tbein.  After  some  delay  the  forts  were  formally  deliver- 
ed up — Chevalier  de  Grand-fontaine  having  been  commis- 
eioned  by  Louis  XIV  to  receive  them.  A  careful  inventory 
of  the  forts  and  their  contents  was  taken,  evidently  with  a 
view  of  establishing  a  claim  for  indemnity  in  Temple's  be- 
half. He  estimated  his  expeiiditures  in  Acadia  at  £10,000, 
but  neither  he  nor  his  heirs  were  able  to  recover  any  j»ait 
of  this  vaat  sum  irom  tke  Ciown  Oi  ET^^'aud. 


:)"V 


FROM  Gr.AND-FONT-^INE  TO  MENNEVAL. 


At  tne  time  Grand-fcntaine  had  established  himself  on  the 
Penobscot  there  were  less  than  five-lniiidred  white  people 
living  in  all  Acadia.  Though  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  cen- 
tury had  elapsed  since  De  Monts  formed  the  first  settlement 
at  St.  Croix  Island,  the  time  had  been  so  fully  occupied  in 
attending  to  their  quarrels  among  themselves,  and  so  much 
property  wasted  in  the  wars  with  their  English  neighbors, 
that  the  real  interests  of  the  Province  were  neglected.  The 
prime  motive  that  actuated  the  promoters  of  colonization, 
was  thirst  for  gold-  A'-.count.s  of  the  vast  quantities  of  the 
precious  metals  that  the  cruel  and  rapacious  S;ianiards  \TOre 
acquiring  in  Mexico  and  Pei'u,  were  being  industriously  cir- 
culated throughout  Europe  with  favorable  exaggerations : 
a  country  that  did  not  abound  in  gold  was  apt  to  be  consid- 
ered worthless.  Acadia,  notwithcitanding  all  the  wealth  of 
her  natural  resources,  came  under  the  universal  ban,  and 
capitalists  were  unwilling  to  take  the  trouble  and  risk  ex- 
cept the  prospect  of  sudden  wealth  was  held  out  to  tliera. 
Besides,  the  government  of  the  colony  was  continually  le 
verting  from  one  power  to  the  other;  plunder  and  pillage 
'as  the  order  of  the  day;  the  resources  of  the  soil  had  iu)t 
been  developed,  nor  were  the  locations  for  settlement  at  all 
times  wisely  chosen  ;  the  go^'er«ors  appointed  to  look  alter 
the  welfaie  of  the  colonisslb,  were  more  apt  to  look  after 


84 


AOADIA 


:|         I 


their  own  interestp>  to  the  detriment  of  the  public ;  in  a 
word,  so  many  were  the  disaJ vantages,  that  we  cease  to 
wonder  the  growth  of  Acadia  was  so  slow.  The  brief  sov- 
ereignty grained  to  Giaud-fontaine,  was  not  without  the 
difficulties  that  usually  beset  the  rulers  of  Acadia.  The 
encroachments  of  his  English  neighbors,  the  jea'.ouiies  of 
his  French  associatt-s  in  Aiadiu,  and  the  umcbinations  of 
enemies  at  heme,  kept  him  fully  occupied.  During  his  ad- 
ministration  a  few  colonists  repaired  to  Chignecto,  "  whoi'e 
an  enonauus  area  of  maish  laud  awaited  but  the  cai'e  of  man 
to  yield  its  licnes,"  A  few  years  later  Piere  Theriot,  Claud 
and  Autoine  Landry  and  Ker>&  Le  Blanc  began  settlement 
at  Minas,  whieli  finally  ^rew  to  be  the  most  rich  and  popu* 
lous  in  Acadia. 

In  1673  Grand-fontaiue  was  succeeded  by  Ohambly. 
During  the  summer  of  the  following  year,  a^  Chambiy  with 
his  garrison  of  tbirty  men  were  at  tlieir  usual  duties  aboat 
the  fort  at  Penobscot,  tiiey  were  startled  by  the  uppearuuce 
of  a  Dutch  wai'  vessel  on  the  river.  Louis  XIY  was  then 
at  war  with  Holland,  and  while  his  generats  were  winning 
glory  for  him  in  Europe,  the  Dutch  thought  they  migUtaid 
in  the  cause  by  attacking  the  French  in  .Imerica.  The  ves- 
sel was  heavily  armed  and  carried  a  force  of  o;je  hundred 
and  ten  men ;  after  a  brief  combat,  during  which  sevei  a1  of 
the  garrison  were  killed,  Chambiy  capitulated.  The  Frenub 
fort  at  Jemeeg,  on  the  Hi.  John  iiiver,  likewise  was  taken  by 
the  Hollanuer,  who  made  ma  effort  to  hold  on  to  the  forts  ao 
easily  captuied,  but  was  coaaMnt  with  plundering  them  oi 
their  valuables.  The  French  made  no  further  attempt  tc 
occupy  the  fort  at  Penobscot,  and  it  was  suffered  to  fall 
into  decay. 

In  the  summer  of  1676  the  Dutch  again  visited  Penobscot 
and  undertook  to  restore  and  garrison  the  fort.  The  French 
were  too  weak  to  offer  resistance ;  but  the  English,  uuwii* 
ling  to  see  a  Dutch  colony  established  on  their  northern  bo>> 


FROM  OHAND-FONTAINE  TO  ME^mEVAI, 


85 


(lers,  dispatched  two  or  three  vessels  from  Bo^toa,  and  the 
invaders  were  driven  off.  The  Enfjlish  quitted  the  place  as 
»oon  as  they  had  dispossessed  the  Dutch,  not  cai'lng  to  main- 
tain a  {garrison  there. 

Pentagoet,  as  this  fort  was  afterward  calle.l,  was  not  suf- 
fered to  remain  tenantless.  Bai  on  de  St.  Castiu,  ati  Indian 
chieftain  of  French  birth  and  education,  imimnliata^j'  oc- 
<'upied  it  with  his  savao;e  subjects.  This  man  ligu  ed  large- 
ly in  th«  events  transpiring  in  Acadia  and  the  adjacent  New 
England  provinces.  His  character  and  disposition  has  been 
made  the  subject  of  much  adverse  criticism,  and  also  of  com- 
ioendation,  by  various  historians  who  have  written  of  him. 
He  married  among  the  Indians  (some  say  he  had  but  one  wife), 
and  according  to  good  authorities  he  was  always  friendly  to 
the  Englisii,  and  used  iiis  influence  to  keep  the  savages  at 
peace.  Other  authorities,  entitled  to  equal  credence  per- 
haps, aver  he  lived  a  life  of  licentiousness  among  the  In- 
dians, and  that  he  incited  them  to  acts  of  plunder  and  ra- 
pine against  the  English  settlements,  and  that  he  even  went 
so  far  as  to  direct  tlie  savages  in  person,  in  their  maraud- 
ing incursions.  Sutlice  it  to  say,  that  at  one  time  the  name 
of  Baron  St.  Castiu  was  a  terror  tlu'oughout  New  England, 
and  he  received  the  credit  of  planning  all  the  Indian  massa- 
cres that  desolated  the  country.  Was  the  community  star- 
tled with  the  tidings  of  another  frontier  village  laid  waste 
by  the  midnight  torch,  and  women  and  children  tomahawk- 
ed and  scalped? — '* The  Baron  St.  Castin  "*  was  hui'led  from 
every  tongue  with  bitter  execrations. 


'The  BaroD  St.  Castin,  a  uative  of  Oberon  amouK  the  Pyrenees,  hay- 
ing lived  ainoiiM  the  savages  fur  above  tweuty  yearb,  is  looked  upon  by 
theiu  us  their  tutelar  god.  Jie  nmiried  anioug  thciu  after  thoir  fasliion, 
and  preferred  the  forests  of  Acadia  to  the  Pyrcuiau  MouMtaius  that  en- 
compass the  place  of  his  nativily.  The  savages  made  him  their  Rreat 
chief  or  leader,  aud  by  decrees  ha  has*  worked  himself  into  such  a  fortune, 
which  nay/  man  but  he  would  have  made  such  use  of,  as  to  draw  out  ot 


)  1 

I 


i  i 


86 


AOADIA 


lit 

If 

li 

1  i 

'Ww 

''^m  '  1 ' 

'ill  1 

ill' 

jn  11 

Lauveigait,  writing  to  Father  La  Chasse,  says  of  the  sons 
of  the  Baron  : — "  The  insolenc?  of  the  Messrs.  de  St.  Castin 
has  come  to  be  so  excessive,  that  they  no  longer  set  bounds 
to  it,  in  their  conduct  towards  me  or  before  God.  Tlie 
elder,  who  does  not  care  to  marry,  and  not  satisfied  with 
spreading  corruption  through  the  whole  village,  in  addition 
to  that,  now  makes  a  business  of  selling  brandy,  openly,  in 
company  with  his  nephew,  the  son  of  M.  de  Bellisle.  They 
have  been  the  means  of  one  man  being  drowned  alrealy  on 
account  of  it,  and  are  like  to  be  the  destruction  of  many 
otljers.  The  younger  of  the  Messrs.  de  St.  Castiii  never 
comes  to  the  village  without  getting  drunk  in  public,  and 
putting  the  whole  village  in  an  uproar," 

Mrs.  Williams,  in  her  excellent  work  on  the  Neutral 
f  rench,  pictures  the  home  of  Bai'on  St.  Castin  as  the  abode 
of  refinement  which  is  in  ill  keeping  with  the  siniste."  char- 
acter imputed  to  him  by  the  English.  As  to  his  constancy, 
she  goes  on  to  say,  one  fact  alone  should  set  this  matter  at 
rest.  The  Baron  had  immense  possessions  in  France,  and 
many  connections  there,  and  his  son  by  the  daughter  of 
Madocawando,  chief  of  the  Tarratine  tribe,  had  no  difficulty 
in  establishing  his  claim  to  his  father's  title  and  estates. 
He  must,  too,  have  been  united  to  this  woman  by  the  rites 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  to  make  his  claim  good.  It  was 
known  that  he  usually  had  a  missionary  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  his  house. 

In  1721  a  son  of  Baion  St.  Castin  was  decoyed  on  boaid 

tlie  country  above  two  or  three  hnndred  thonsnnd  CTo^vns,  which  he  has 
now  ill  hia  pocket,  in  good  thy  gold.  Kut  nil  tlie  nse  he  makes  of  it  is  to 
buy  up  j^oiuls  for  preseuts  to  his  fellow  snvaf^ea,  who  uiron  their  return 
from  luintiuf;,  present  him  with  benver  skins  to  treble  their  value.  The 
Governor-Ceneriil  of  Catiada  keeps  in  with  him,  and  the  Governor  of 
New  Eufiland  is  afraid  of  him.  He  has  several  daughters,  who  are  all  of 
i!iem  m.inied  very  handsomely  to  Frenchmen.  He  has  never  changed 
his  wife,  by  which  means  he  intended  to  give  the  savages  to  understand, 
tliat  God  does  not  love  incoastaitl  folks.     (La  Houtao.) 


FltOU  ORAMD-F0>TAIRE  TO  MEXNEVAL 


87 


an  English  vessel  in  the  hai'bor  at  Pentagoot,  taken  to  Bos- 
ton and  cast  into  prison.  This  proceediug  was  tlie  occasion 
of  much  unfavorable  comuieut  in  I\Iassacliu-<etl8.  The 
charge  against  him  was,  that  he  was  present  with  the  In- 
dians at  AiTOwsic,  dressed  in  a  splendid  I'rench  uniform. 
His  case  was  made  the  subject  of  legislative  action  ;  a  com- 
mittee being  appointed,  he  so  well  satistiedtliera  that  wrong 
had  been  done  him,  that  they  reported  favorable  to  his  dis- 
charge. In  reply  to  interrogatories  he  said :  "  I  received 
no  orders  from  the  Governor  of  Canada  to  be  present  at,  Ar- 
rov.slc.  I  have  always  lived  with  my  kindred  and  people.— 
My  mother  was  an  Abenalas — I  was  in  authority  over  them. 
I  should  not  have  been  true  to  my  trusts  if  I  hadneg  ectvd 
to  be  present  at  a  meeting  wherein  their  interests  were  con- 
cerned. My  uniform  is  required  by  my  position,  which  is 
that  of  a  Lieutenant  under  the  French  King.  I  have  the 
higiiest  friendship  for  the  English.  My  disposition  is  to 
prevent  my  people  from  doing  them  mischief ;  and  my  efforts 
shall  be  to  influence  them  to  keep  peace." 

In  1676  Chambly  left  Acadia,  and  La  Villiere,  M.  Perrot. 
and  Meiineval  successively  exercised  the  functions  of  Gover- 
nor of  the  province,  the  latter  coming  into  power  in  April, 
IG87.  The  following  year  was  signalized  by  the  descent  of 
a  New  England  force  upon  Acadian  soii,  which  opened  the 
way  for  an  Indian  war  that  brought  ruin  and  desolation  to 
many  a  frontier  village,  and  wasted  many  precious  lives. 

An  dross  having  become  royal  governor  of  New  England 
under  a  connuission  from  James  II,  he  formed  the  resolu- 
tion to  seize  upon  Penobscot.  Setting  sail,  his  frigate  an- 
chored opposite  Castin's  residence,  and  a  iieutouHiit  was 
sent  ashore  to  inform  the  Baron  that  Andross  wished  to  see 
hiui  on  board  his  vessel,  hu  Castin  deciined  the  interview, 
and  with  his  family  fled  to  the  woods,  leaving  most  of  their 
household  effects  to  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  Andross 
lauded  and  robbed  his  dwelling,  and  returned  to  Pemacjuid 


II 


10  AOAmJt 

Vfith  his  booty ;  hui,  as  before  stated,  the  result  showed  t& 
to  be  a  costly  prize. 

The  Indians  commenced  hostilities  the  following  August, 
probably  urged  on  by  St.  Castin,  though  no  doubt  having 
gi'ievaijces  of  their  own  to  redress.  Andross  marched 
against  them  with  a  large  force,  but  the  savages  entirely 
eluded  him.  Before  he  could  take  the  field  again  in  the 
Spring  of  1689,  ovv'ing  to  political  changes  in  Europe,  he 
was  removed  from  office.  France  and  Eng  and  being  at 
war  this  made  an  excuse  for  renewed  hostilities  between 
their  subjects  in  the  New  World.  Frontenac  had  been  re- 
appointed Governor  of  Canada,  and  from  his  stronghold  at 
Qut'bec,  he  was  to  direct  operations  on  a  grand  sca.e  :  New 
England  and  New  York  were  to  be  ravaged,  and  the  Prote* 
tant  population  driven  from  the  soil. 

The  war  was  leuewedin  June,  1(589,  by  the  destruction 
of  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  when  Major  Waldron  and  twenty- 
two  others  were  killed  and  twenty-nine  taken  ( aj"  tive.  The 
venerable  Major  was  then  eighty  yeai's  of  age,  and  was  tor- 
tured to  death  as  a  retribution*  for  an  act  of  treachery  he 
had  been  guilty  of  some  twelve  years  previous,  and  which 
doubtless  caused  the  spilling  of  much  innocent  blood.  Dur- 
ing King  Philip's  war  the  Major  was  in  command  of  the 
militia  at  Dover.  About  four  hundred  Indians  were  en- 
camped there,  with  whom  "Wa'dron  had  made  peace.  Two 
companies  of  soldiers  arriving  soon  after,  the  Major  pro- 
posed a  sham  fight  between  the  Indians  and  whites ;  he  in- 
duced the  savages  to  tire  the  lirst  volley  which  was  no  sooner 
done  than  they  were  surrounded  by  the  soldiers  and  the 
whole  of  them  made  prisoners.  Two  hundred  were  taken 
to  Uoston,  where  seven  or  eight  were  hanged,  and  the  rest 
sold  into  slavery. 


'The  time  had  now  arrived  to  satisfy  their  vengeance.     Seating  the 
old  luau  iu u  cLoir,  ou  a  table,  they  tauntingly  asked,  "Who  is  going  to, 


mnM  rtHANn-roNTAinir  to  mfumktai. 


89 


The  destruciion  of  Dover  was  Bneedily  followed  by  the 
irnssacre  at  Saco,  and  later  still  by  that  iit  Potnaquid.  New 
Fngland  wan  aroused  by  those  repeated  attacks.  A  lar<»e 
force  of  volunteers  was  sent  into  the  fiold,  and  the  command 
piven  to  Major  Church,  who  had  won  reputation  in  King 
Philip's  war.  Nothing  of  impurtauce  was  accomplished 
that  year. 

The  war  between  the  French  and  English  in  America 
opened  early  in  1690.  Three  expeditions  weie  planned 
nnder  the  direction  of  Fronteuac,  which  were  sent  against 
New  York,  New  Hampshire  and  i\iaine ;  the  war  parties 
being  formed,  respectively,  at  Montreal,  Three  Rivers,  and 
Quebec.  The  Moutreal  force  consisted  of  upwaids  of  one 
hundred  men,  about  half  of  whom  were  Indians.  The  lead- 
ers were  Frenchmen,  and  Albany  the  destined  point  of  at- 
tack ;  but  when,  after  a  terrible  winter  jouruey  through  the 
wilderness,  they  readied  it.i  vicinity,  the  savages  objected, 
and  Schenectady  was  invested  instead.  "This  vil)a'.je,  which 
contained  eight  houses,  they  reached  Feb.  18,  in  the  evening. 
The  people  were  found  asleep,  not  having  posted  any  senti- 
nels, though  advised  to  be  on  the  watch  previously.  They 
did  not  believe  that  Canadians,  loaded  with  arms  and  pro- 
visions, would  traverse  for  hundreds  of  miles  the  snowy 
wilds  at  such  a  season — an  incredulity  which  cost  them 
dear!  The  French, — after  reconnoitering  the  place,  which 
had  a  four-sided  palisaded  enclosure,  with  ten  gates, — enter- 
ed the  latter  noiselessly,  amid  a  snow-fall,  about  11  p.  m.,  and 
invested  all  the  houses.  These  men,  with  frozen  locks  and 
burning  eye,  and  vengeance  in  their  liearts,  resembled  the 
terrible  phantoms  described  by  the  Scandinavian  bards.     A 

Judge  the  red  man  now?"  Amid  whoops  and  jeers,  they  slit  his  nose, 
cropped  his  ears,  and  committed  other  iTueltios  upon  his  person,  till  faint 
from  loss  of  blood,  his  own  sword  was  held  under  him,  which  transpierced 
his  body. 


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ACADIA 


more  grisly  phantom,  the  King  of  terrors  himself,  it  was 
who  now  entered  at  the  portals  of  the  silent  streets  of  Sche- 
nectady, the  indwellers  of  which  were  about  to  be  awakened 
from  their  last  sleep.  Orders  were  given  underbreath,  ;ind, 
each  soldier  muffling  the  rattling  of  his  aniis  as  agreed  on, 
the  fatal  sign  was  given,  and  every  door  forced  with  hatch- 
ets."* The  inhabitants  thus  caught  by  surprise  could  c£Fer 
no  resistance.  Two  houses  only  were  sjjared:  one  because 
a  wounded  French  officer  lay  there  ;  the  other  was  left  out 
of  regard  to  Mr.  Sander,  whose  wife  had  kindly  treated  in 
past  times  some  French  prisoners.  Sixty  persons  were 
killed,  including  ten  women  and  twelve  children ;  and  twenty 
seven  were  led  captive  to  Canada.  Many  in  the  darkness 
and  confusion  escaped  the  massacre  only  to  perish  by  a  more 
lingering  death  from  exposure :  some  who  fled  to  Albany 
lost  their  limbs  from  frost.  The  victors  carried  away  a 
quantity  of  plunder,  but  on  their  v.ay  buck  were  pursued  by 
a  party  of  Mohawks,  and  a  number  of  them  were  killed  and 
taken. 

The  Three  Rivers  expedition  consisted  of  about  fifty 
French  and  Indians.  After  a  two  months'  journey  through 
the  trackless  wilderness,  the  party  attacked  Berwick  on  the 
morning  of  t/;'3  28th  of  March,  before  daybreak.  Thirty- 
four  persons  were  killed,  over  fifty  taken  prisoners,  the 
buildings  were  set  on  fire,  and  the  return  march  was  begun. 
One  hundred  and  forty  men  were  hastily  collected  from  the 
neighboring  towns,  and  the  retreating  party  were  pursued 
as  far  as  Wooster  River,  where  the  enemy  made  a  stand  and 
checked  the  pursuit  until  nightfall,  and  then  made  good 
their  escape. 

The  third  war  party  left  Quebec  on  the  28th  of  January, 
composed  of  fifty  French,  and  seventy  Abenakis  Indians. 
On  the  Kennebec    they  fell  in  with  the  Three  Rivers  party  t 


'Churneao. 


FROM  QRAND-FOTAINE  TO  MENNEVAL 


91 


their  force  was  augmented  by  a  number  of  Kennebec  In- 
dians and  others  from  St.  John  and  Penobscot,  until  the 
party  numbered  about  five  hundred  men. 

Falmouth  was  attacked  on  the  26ih  of  May,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple who  were  unable  to  reach  the  fortified  houses  were  siain. 
During  the  following  night  the  inhabitants  retired  to  Fort 
Loyal,  where  there  was  a  small  gairison under  Captain  Davis. 
A  regular  siege  was  made  against  the  fort,  and  after  a  brave 
defence  of  four  days,  Davis  was  forced  to  suiTender.  The 
terms  promised  quarter  to  the  inmates  of  Fort  Loyal  and  a 
guard  to  the  next  English  town ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  fort 
piven  up  than  the  place  was  turned  over  to  pillage.  About 
one  hundred,  men,  women,  and  children,  were  murdered  in 
cold  blood,  and  Captain  Davis,  with  three  or  four  others, 
was  carried  off  captive  to  Quebec.  The  fort  was  destroy- 
ed, and  the  dead  bodies  of  the  unfortunate  people  were 
allowed  to  lie  unburied,  mingled  with  the  ashes  of  their 
homes.  All  that  summer  their  mangled  corpses  remained  ex- 
posed to  the  elements,  and  supplied  the  wild  animals  of  the 
forest  with  ghastly  feasts  for  many  a  night's  hideous  revel. 
In  October,  Major  Church,  then  on  an  expedition  to  the  east- 
ward, gathered  their  bones  together  and  buried  them. 

These  acts  of  atrocity  by  the  savages,  aided  and  led  on 
by  the  French,  was  doubtless  measurably  done  in  repasal 
for  the  massacre  at  Lachine  the  year  previous,  which  was 
attributed  to  English  instigation.  Though  not  a  part, 
btrictiy  speaking,  of  the  subject  of  this  volume,  a  brief  des- 
cription of  that  tragic  event  will  lead  to  a  better  understand- 
ing of  the  state  of  affuirs  at  that  time  :  we  are  the  more  in- 
clined to  give  it  from  the  fact  the  massacre  of  Lachine  is 
not  often  referred  to  by  the  authors  of  American  histories. 

The  French  in  Acadia  and  Canada  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  English  colonists  on  the  other,  were  engaged  in  a  ter- 
rible strife,  the  object  of  each  being  the  total  subjugation  of 
the  opposing   party.     To  further  their  interests  both  at- 


if 


•  1 


92 


ACADIA 


1    11 


tempted  to  win  over  the  various  wandering  Indian  tribes  as 
allies.  In  this  the  French,  through  the  influence  of  their 
priests,  showed  the  better  diplomacy.  But  the  Iroquois,  a 
strong  and  warlike  confederacy  occupying  the  central  por- 
tion of  what  is  now  the  State  of  New  York,  manifested  a 
strong  friendship  for  the  English,  and  this  preference  was 
destined  to  be  siiown  in  an  exemplai'y  manner. 

The  Governor  of  Canada,  the  Marquis  de  Denonville,  had 
been  positively  informed  that  an  inroad  by  the  Iroquois  oa 
his  territory  had  been  arranged;  but  as  no  procursive  signs 
of  it  appeared  to  the  general  eye,  and  as  the  Jesuit  priests 
expressed  their  disbelief  in  such  an  occurrence,  no  defensive 
preparations  were  made.  The  summer  of  1689  was  well  ad- 
vanced, "  when  the  storm,  long  pent  up,  suddenly  fell  oa 
the  beautiful  Island  of  Montreal,  the  garden  of  CanadtL 
During  the  night  of  the  5th  of  August,  amid  a  storm  of  hail 
and  rain,  1400  Iroquois  traversed  the  Lake  St.  Louis,  and 
disembarked  on  the  upper  strand  of  the  Island.  Before  day- 
break the  invaders  had  taken  their  station  at  Lachine,  in- 
vesting every  house  within  a  radius  of  several  leagues.  The 
inmates  were  buried  in  sleep, — soon  to  be  the  dreamless 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking  for  too  many  of  them.  The 
Iroquois  only  waited  the  signal  from  their  leaders  to  fall  ou. 
It  is  given.  In  short  space  the  windows  and  doors  of  the 
dwellings  are  driven  in ;  the  sleepers  dragged  from  their 
beds  ;  men,  women,  and  children,  all  struggling  in  the  hands 
of  their  butchers.  Such  houses  as  the  savages  cannot  force 
their  way  into  they  fire  ;  and  as  the  flames  reach  those  virith- 
in,  they  are  driven  forth  to  meet  death  at  the  threshold, 
from  beings  who  know  no  pity :  they  even  forced  parents  to 
throw  their  children  into  the  flames.  Two  hundred  persons 
were  burned  alive;  others  died  under  prolonged  tortures, 
vrhile  many  were  reserved  to  perish  similaiiy  at  a  future 
time." 

While  these  events  were  trauspiiing,  it  must  not  be  sup- 


rHOM  Or.ANn-KO!TTArNF  TO  MryXRVXL 


93 


posed  the  New  En<:jland  people  wpve  idle.  Extensive  pre- 
parations were  goinpf  on  in  ^lassachusetts,  spuiTed  onbv  re- 
ports of  these  relocated  outrages  of  the  French  and  Indians, 
having  no  less  an  object  in  view  than  the  reduction  of  both 
Port  Koyal  and  Quebec,  the  two  strongholds  of  the  French 
in  America. 

The  Port  Royal  expedition  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  9th 
of  May,  1690.  It  consisted  of  a  40  gun  frigate,  a  ship  of 
16  guns,  and  a  third  of  8,  with  transports  lor  the  convey- 
ance of  700  men.  The  command  was  given  to  Sir  William 
Phipps,*  a  native  of  Maina  On  the  19th  of  the  same  month 
the  guard  at  the  entrance  of  Port  Royal  Basin  discovei'ed 
the  hostile  fleet,  and  fired  off  a  mortar  to  alarm  the  people 
at  the  fort.  During  the  night  the  guard  reached  the  iort 
and  reported  the  uumber  of  the  enemy.  Menueval,  per- 
ceiving that  an  attack  was  intended,  fired  a  cannon  to  call 
the  people  to  his  assistance  ;  only  three  responded  to  the 
summons.  The  garrison  was  small,  the  works  were  in  poor 
condition  and  most  of  the  cannon  were  dismounted.     Men- 


*  Phipps  was  bom  in  1650,  at  Pemnquid.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  ha 
was  apprenticed  to  a  ship-carpeuier;  at  the  expiration  of  his  indentures 
he  built  a  vessel  which  he  himself  navigated.  He  tirst  brought  his  nama 
into  promineuca  by  raising  a  quantity*  of  treasure  from  a  Spanish  wreck. 
He  had  been  provided  with  the  necessary  apparatus  by  the  Gcvernor  of 
Jamaica  to  raise  the  cargo  of  the  frigate  ' '  Alger  Rose  "  near  the  Island  of 
Hispaniola;  and  having  for  a  long  time  sought  the  object  of  his  voyaga 
near  a  reef  of  rocks  called  "The  Boilers,"  was  about  to  abandon  tha 
search,  when,  as  one  of  the  boats  was  returning  to  the  ship,  a  sea-feather 
was  observed  growing  out  of  a  rock.  An  Indian  diver  was  sent  to  fetch 
it  up,  who  law  several  guns  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  On  the  sec- 
ond descent  the  Indian  raised  a  mass  of  silver;  and  Phipps  carried  away 
over  thirty-two  tons  of  silver  bullion,  besides  a  quantity  of  fjold,  pearls 
and  jewels,  over  which  the  billows  had  been  rolling  for  more  than  half  a 
century.  When  the  new  charter  of  Massachusetts  was  granted,  he  was 
oiade  Governor;  being  a  man  of  hasty  temper,  he  was  summoned  to  Eng- 
land to  answer  a  charge  of  assault;  he  died  while  there,  and  was  buried  ia 
tiie  church  of  St  Mary,  Walucath. 


) 


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r 

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94 


ACACtt 


neval  was  advised  ta  remove  his  garrison  and  stores  tip  the- 
river ;  the  brigantine  lying  at  hand,  was  brought  near  the 
fort  and  the  soldiers  commenced  loading  her  with  provisions- 
and  ammunition.  While  this  was  going  on^  two  priests — 
Petit  and  Trouve — arrived,  and  they  induced  Mennevai  to« 
change  his  plan.  They  persuaded  him  he  would  only  in- 
ciease  his  difficulties  by  abandoning  his  forDr  and  tliat  he 
might  make  an  advantageous  cajjitnlation,  Accordingiy,  the 
foi.owint  day,  as  the  New  England  fleet  appeared  in  Port 
Koyal  Basin,  Phipps  sent  his  trumpeter  to  summon  the 
garrison  tu  surrender.  Mennevai  detained  him  and  sent 
Petit  to  arrange  terms  of  capitulation.  Sir  William  demand- 
ed an  uncoiiilitional  surrender.  This  was  peremptorily  re- 
fused by  the  Priest,  who  proposed  the  following  ai'ticies  of 
capitulation: — 1st,  That  the  soldiers  with  their  arms  and 
baggage,  should  be  transported  to  France,  in  a  vessel  to  b& 
provided  by  the  English.  2nd,  That  the  inhabitants  should 
be  maintained  in  peaceable  possession  of  their  properties, 
and  that  the  honor  of  the  women  should  be  preserved.  3d, 
That  they  should  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of 
their  religion,  and  that  the  property  of  the  chmch  should  be 
protected. 

Sir  William  agreed  to  these  conditions,  but  refused  to 
commit  them  to  writing,  stating  as  a  reason  that  his  word 
as  a  General  was  better  than  any  document  whatever.  Men- 
nevai was  obliged  to  content  himself  with  this  assurance, 
and  the  keys  of  the  fortress  were  given  up.  Upon  exami- 
nation the  English  were  surprised  at  the  weakness  of  the 
place,  and  regretted  giving  such  favorable  terms.  A  slight 
misunderstanding  occurring,  Phipps  used  it  as  a  pretext  to 
annul  the  conditions ;  he  disarmed  the  soldiers  and  impris- 
oned them  in  the  church ;  he  confined  Mennevfvl  in  his  own 
house  and  robbed  him  of  his  money  and  effects,  and  gave 
up  the  place  to  general  pillage,  from  which  neither  the  Priests 
nor  the  Church  were  exempted.     He  sent  a  force  to  reduce 


FEOM  Gr.ASD-FO>iT.\TN'E  TO  MENNEVAL 


m 


La  Hcve  and  Chedabucto,  where  a  quantity  of  goods  belong- 
ing to  the  lishing  company  were  taken  :  from  thence  it  i^ro- 
cetded  to  Isles  Perco*and  Eonaventure,  v.'here  the  crews 
sacked  and  burned  all  the  houses  and  destroyed  the  churches, 
firing  150  gunshots  through  the  picture  of  St.  Peter.  The 
losses  the  I'reuch  incurred  through  Phipps'  expedition  ex- 
ceeded fifty  thousand  crowns. 

•The  snramitof  the  Perce  Sock  covers  about  two  acres,  and  is  divid- 
ed into  two  great  districts,  one  of  which  is  inhabited  by  the  gulls,  and  the 
cormorants  dwell  on  the  other.  If  either  of  these  trespass  on  the  other's 
territory  (which  occurs  every  fifteen  minutes,  at  least),  a  battle  ensues, 
the  shrill  cries  of  hundreds  or  thousands  of  birds  rend  the  air,  great  clouds 
of  combatants  hover  over  the  plateau,  and  peace  is  only  restored  by  the 
retreat  of  the  invader.  When  the  conflict  is  between  large  flocks,  it  is  a 
scene  worthy  of  close  notice,  and  sometimes  becomes  highly  exciting. 

Many  years  ago  the  Rock  was  ascended  by  two  flshermen,  and  the  way 
once  being  found,  scores  of  men  clambered  up  by  ropes  nnd  carried  away 
the  egfjs  and  young  birds,  finding  the  older  ones  so  tame  that  they  had  to 
be  lifted  off  the  nests.  This  vast  aviary  would  have  been  depopulated 
long  ere  this,  but  that  the  Perce  magistrates  passed  a  law  forbidding  the 
ascent  of  the  Bock. 


1 


If 


VILLEBON  ON  THE  ST.  JOHX. 


^ot  long  after  the  events  related  in  the  last  chapter,  and 
ivhile,  as  we  may  suppose,  the  hapless,  helpless  Acadians 
were  broouing  over  their  misfortunes,  a  French  ship,  the 
Union,  sailed  into  Port  Royal  harbor.  She  had  on  board 
a  notable  Frenchman  named  Villebon,  a  brother  of  Menne- 
val.  He  had  come  to  place  himself  at  the  head  of  th«  In- 
dian tribes.  The  vessel  also  brought  out  fifty  stand  of 
arms,  some  recruits  for  the  garrison,  and  a  quantity  of  preS" 
ents  for  the  savages.  "Villebon,  having  been  told  the  story 
of  the  capture  of  the  fort,  and  learning  the  English  were 
still  on  the  coast,  and  might  return  if  they  heard  of  his  ar- 
rival, he,  after  consultation,  decided  that  his  best  plan  was 
to  proceed  to  the  River  St.  John,  and  occupy  the  Oid  fort  at 
Jemseg,  He  accordingly  crossed  to  St.  John,  and  sailed  up 
that  I'iver  to  prepare  Fort  Jemseg  for  the  goods  entiusted 
to  Jus  rare,  leaving  orders  for  the  Union  to  follow  in  a  few 
drtys. 

Scarcely  had  Villebon  left  Port  Royal  when  two  "piratlo- 
a1  ships"  made  their  appearance  before  the  fort,  the  orews 
of  which  landed  and  commenced  to  pillage  the  piace.  Near 
the  entrance  of  the  basin  on  the  Granville  side,  they  burned 
ftixteen  liouses:  at  the  fort  they  set  tire  to  twelve  houses, 
(slaughtered  the  cattle,  hanged  some  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
deliberately  burned  up  one  lamily  wnom  they  had  shut  up 
r,o  prevent  their  escape.    Seizing  all  the  piuuder  they  could 


VILLEBON  OX  THE  FT.  JOHN 


n 


gather,  including  the  Union  and  her  cargo,  the  "piratical 
vessels"  sailed  away. 

In  this  emergency  Villebon  acted  with  vigor  and  discre- 
tion. Having  collected  the  Indians,  he  told  them  of  the 
capture  of  the  presents  intended  for  them,  exhorted  thetn 
to  bo  faithful  to  the  French  King,  and  promised  to  embark 
for  France  at  ciice,  and  would  return  again  in  the  Spring 
with  better  presents  than  those  be  had  lost.  To  this  they 
replied  that  Onanthio  (the  name  they  had  given  to  the  King 
of  France),  having  already  supplied  them  with  ammunition, 
they  were  perfectly  satislied,  and  that  they  were  more  griev- 
ed for  the  loss  of  the  vessel  and  stores  on  his  account,  tlian 
for  the  presents  destined  for  them  ;  and  promised  that  dur- 
ing his  absence  they  would  give  a  good  account  of  the  Eug- 
Jish. 

At  this  time  a  squadron  was  fitted  out  against  Quebec, 
consisting  of  thu'ty-five  sail,  and  Sir  Wm.  Phipps  was  nouii- 
i:ated  to  command  the  expedition.  Two  thousand  militia- 
laen  embarked  in  it.  The  spirit  and  enterprise  of  wliich 
this  expedition  was  the  result,  was  remarkable,  and  its  war- 
like ai'ray  made  the  Bostoniaus  exuitant :  the  wildest  hopes 
'.vere  entertained  of  what  it  was  capable  of  accomplishing. 
The  Boston  land  expedition  under  Winthrop,  which  was  to 
await  the  arrival  of  Phipps  in  middle  Laurentiau  waters  af- 
ter the  expected  capture  of  Quebec,  arrived  at  Lake  George 
and  encamped  on  its  picturesque  banks  :  the  plan  of  opera- 
tions being  for  the  two  forces  to  ascend  conjointly  to  Mon- 
treal. But  an  epidemic  broke  out  among  Winthrop's  has- 
tily raised  corps,  which  speedily  spread  to  his  savage  allies, 
and  there  being,  too,  a  lack  of  canoes  in  which  to  transport 
the  men,  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  beat  a  retreat. 

The  Bostonian  fleet  appeared  in  sight  of  Quebec  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th  of  October.  Sir  William  Phipps  sent 
au  ofl&ccr  and  flag  with  a  summons  to  surrender.  "  He  was 
met  ou  the  tshore,  and  led  blindiold  through  the  city,  by  a 


1 


I 


! 
1 

f 

" 

•■i 
■       ] 

i- 


iMi 
III! 


98 


AOADTA 


i  'J 


1''! 


I    I 


i!l:i 


long  and  devious  course  to  the  castle ;  tlie  men  on  duty 
taking  care  to  ma^re  as  much  clangor  with  their  weapons  as 
possible."  M.  de  Froutenac  returned  the  following  for  an- 
swer: '•  Tell  your  master  thau  the  mouths  of  my  cannon  will 
forthwith  bear  my  answer  to  the  summons  he  has  aent  me.'* 
The  batteries  of  the  lower  town  soon  opened  on  the  fl^ot. 
Some  of  the  tirst  shots  brought  down  the  flag  of  Philip's 
own  vessel,  which  was  fished  up  by  the  French,  and  after- 
ward suspended  to  the  ceiling  of  the  Quebec  ca<jh«dra\  as  a 
trophy,  and  there  remained  until  that  oJidce  was  consumed, 
during  the  siege  of  1759.  Phipps  bombarded  the  place  for 
scvtral  days,  but  not  making  satisfactory  progress,  he  rais- 
ed the  siege  and  returned  to  Boston.  On  the  return  voyage 
one  vessel  was  wrecked  on  the  desolate  coast  of  Anticosti, 
where  most  of  the  crew  who  reached  the  shore  afttrwiuds 
died  of  cold  and  hunger  ;*  other  vessels  foundered  at  sea. 
Both  belligerents  had  8u£fered  heavily,  and  neither  had  gain- 
ed or  lost  a  foot  of  territory.  Both  sides  suffered  a  two-fold 
loss — the  countries  lost  the  labor  of  the  men  who  formed  the 
armies,  and  were  heavily  taxed  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
war.  Privateers  were  making  remunerative  captures  of  Ji.er- 
chant  vessels  on  the  high  seas,  and  families  on  tha  frontier 
were  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the  towns  to  escape  from  their 
savage  enemies.  Such  were  the  circumstances  in  which  the 
campaign  closed.  While  these  dark  clouds  hung  threaten- 
ingly over  the  early  colonists,  the  English  were  gui'ty  of  an 
act  of  treacherous  folly,  a  deed  which  the  emissaries  of  France 
were  not  slow  to  make  use  of  to  influence  the  minds  of  the 
Indians,  already  prejudiced  against  their  English  neighbors. 
Captain  Chubb,  commander  at  Pemaquid,  had  arranged  with 
the  Penobscot  tribe  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.    The  In- 


*  Only  five  of  this  boat's  crew  survived  the  ^vinte^  on  the  island.  Af- 
ter the  ice  broke  itp  these  brave  fellows  started  in  a  row  boat  for  Boston, 
900  miles  distant,  and  after  a  passage  of  forty-two  days  they  reached  Iheli 
homes  in  safety. 


VILI  ESON  ON  THE  ST.  JOHN 


99 


diana  were  inducecl  to  give  up  five  English  prisoners  to  him, 
anci  he  proniiseil  to  send  to  lioston  for  the  tive  they  desired 
in  return.  With  this  arrnngeiuent  tlioy  appeared  to  be 
pleased,  and  Cliubb  proposed  a  conference  in  sight  of  the 
fort.  It  was  agreed  that  nine  of  the  Enghsh  and  nin*!  In- 
dians should  meet  unarmed  at  the  jilace  selected.  The  latter, 
being  considoi  ably  under  the  influence  of  Chii1ib\s  licpior, 
did  not  observe  that  a  party  of  soldiers  bad  surrounded  them, 
nor  were  they  aware  that  the  nine  Englishmen  had  pistols 
concealed  about  their  persons.  At  a  given  signal  the  Indi- 
ans we  e  aliuc'red,  four  of  them  killed  and  three  made  pris- 
on<»r8,  only  two  escaping.  It  is  needless  to  enlarge  upon 
the  character  of  the  transaction,  which  in  its  consequences 
wionght  lasting  injury  to  the  English;  for  the  story  of  the 
treachery  of  Chibb,  with  all  such  instances,  was  told  at  the 
camp  tires  of  every  tribe fiom  Cape  Breton  to  Lake  Superior. 
At  this  period  the  English  set  up  a  claim  to  the  territory 
of  Acaaia,  and,  under  the  new  charter  of  Massachusetts,  had 
it  annexed  to  that  colony.  By  way  of  maintaining  a  juris- 
diction over  the  country',  they  sent  out  an  English  ship  of 
war  to  intercept  the  annual  supply  that  Villebon  was  in  the 
liabit  of  receiving  from  France,  at  his  fort  on  the  St.  John. 
This  sbi]\  the  Sorrel,  sailed  from  Boston  with  orders  to 
cruise  off  St.  John's  harbor,  and  await  the  French  vessel. 
The  frigate  appeared  in  due  time,  and  a  severe  engagement 
ensued,  in  which  the  Sorrel  was  beaten  off",  and  the  French 
landed  their  stores  in  triumph.  The  A^orre/,  reinforced  with 
the  frigate  Newport  and  another  vessel,  was  sent  upon  the 
Bame  service  the  following  year.  "While  lying  in  the  harbor 
of  St.  John.D'Iberville,  the  Governorof  Quebec,  arrived  with 
two  men  of  war.  The  vessels  immediately  engaged,  and  the 
Newport  surrendered.  The  others  escaped  under  cover  of 
a  fog.  Reinforced  with  this  prize,  D'Iberville  and  Villebon 
proceeded  to  Penobscot,  where  they  wore  joined  by  Baron 
St.  Castin  and  two  hundred  Penobscot  Indians,  and  the  aug- 


! 


;h  1 


100 


ACADIA 


Uf! 


nicnted  forre  imnircTatc'y  invested  Pemaquid.  The  parn- 
Kon  at  that  ].'aco,  aaruied  at  this  forniitlab'.e  array  of  force, 
and  ftiirful  of  the  consequences  of  falling:  into  the  han da  of 
the  sa\af,e8,  after  a  resistance,  surrendered  on  promises  of 
prottctiou.  On  entering  tha  fort  the  Indians  discovered 
one  of  their  iieojile  in  irons,  and  so  exasperated  wfie  they  at 
the  account  he  jjave  of  his  sufferings,  that  they  fell  upon  the 
English  and  murdered  several  before D'Eberville  couid  tai  e 
U'.easuies  to  prevent  them.  A  fleet  was  immediately  sent 
out  from  Boston  to  intercept  the  French,  but  they  had  do- 
iiolished  the  fort  that  had  cost  so  much,  and  were  already 
in  full  retreat. 

New  England  at  once  determined  upon  measures  of  re- 
taliation, and  a  force  of  five  hundred  men,  under  command 
of  Captain  Church,  was  sent  I'rom  Loston  into  Acadia.  Ke 
sailed  direct  for  Beaubasi-iu,  which  has  since  received  the 
name  of  Cumberland.  The  tenilied  inhabitanis,  as  usual, 
abandoned  their  houses  and  tied  to  the  woods  Oii  the  first  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy.  During  the  pursuit,  Bourgeois,  one  of 
the  most  respected  Acuuians,  surremleied,  and  demanded 
protection  for  iiimself  and  famiiy,  which  was  granted.  Bour- 
geois was  desired  to  give  notice  to  his  countrymen  that  ad 
who  should  return  would  be  weil  received.  Many  of  them 
were  induced  to  return,  but  no  sooner  had  they  assembled 
than  they  were  ordered  to  '"join  the  force  o;  Captain  Church 
in  pursuit  of  the  savages."  On  their  refusing  to  comply, 
their  houses  were  burned,  theii-  dikes  broken  down,  their 
cattle  and  sheep  destroyed,  and  their  effects  plundered  by 
the  soldiers.  C  harlevoix  informs  us  that  "  Bourgeois  pro- 
duced a  proclamation  of  Sir  William  Phipps,  in  which  as- 
surance of  protection  was  given  to  the  inhabitants  so  long 
as  they  remained  faithful  subjects  to  King  William,  and  that 
Church  being  made  acquainted  with  it,  had  ordered  their 
property  to  be  respected ;  but  that  while  he  and  his  officers 
'vere  being  entertained  by  Bourgeois,  the  soldiers,  who  ware 


I 


VILLECON  ON  THE  9T.  JOHS 


101 


ilisperscd  among  the  iiilinbitants,  coii<l»ictcfl  tliorasolv«>«  as 
irtl-eylmd  bet'ii  in  a  con(]i;cr('d  countiy."  He  ulso  ukig 
*'lliat  iimny  of  tho  people,  distrusting  his  promisun,  rofusel 
to  Huriendor,  -imd  thut  it  was  foiiu'ia.e  they  did  so,  for  an 
order  of  Frontiiiac,  the  Governor  of  Cnuala,  having'  been 
aoon  after  discovered  posted  up  in  the  c'.iap9i,  tha  English 
troated  tiieni  as  rebe^.s, — set  live  to  the  church,  and  rediiocHl 
to  ashes  the  few  houses  they  had  previously  spared."  It  la 
<lifficult  to  conceive  waat  provocation  these  simple  Acadiaiia 
had  given  to  merit  such  harsh  treatment — thus  stripped  of 
lion)e  and  the  reccssaries  of  life,  jii  the  "erge,  tcx.,  .  i  nn  Ac- 
adian winter;  or  how  they  could  be  termed  rehcls,  when, 
within  less  than  a  century,  they  had  changed  masters  no  less 
than  fourteen  times. 

During  the  return  voyage  to  Massachusetts,  Church  was 
met  b;y  i,  i  ;^  inforcement  under  Hiwthorne,  and  tVo  f  Tvpedi- 
'■'m  was  turned  bacic  to  besiege  YiJleoou's  fort  at  Niishwaak, 
on  the  St-  John,  The  iitlack,  which  might  have  beon  suc- 
cessful had  it  been  attempted  a  month  before,  was  doomed 
to  failuie,  Yillebou  hud  industriously  added  to  his  I'oices, 
improved  and  strengthened  the  defenses  of  the  place,  and 
was  prepared  for  the  alVray.  On  the  IGth  of  October  Ville- 
bon  heard  that  tlie  English  were  in  force  below;  and  on  the 
evening  before  the  oneiny'.s  ships  hove  in  sight,  he  address- 
ed tlio  garrison  in  stirring  terms,  and  encouraged  them  to 
resist  to  the  last.  Early  iu  the  morning  the  English  made 
their  appearance,  and  onunenced  the  erection  of  a  battery 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  ojjposite  the  fort.  A  lively 
caiiiiouade  soon  commenced,  which  was  only  ended  by  the 
approach  of  night.  Viliebon  prevented  the  Enghsh  from 
lighting  lires  by  discharges  of  grape,  and  they  suftered  much 
from  cold.  The  cannonade  was  continued  through  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  at  night  the  English  ligl  ted  fires  over  a 
Inrgt-  extent  of  ground  and  decamped  under  cover  of  the 
davkneei).     No  one  has  been  able  to  explain  the  cause  of  so 


^  I 


M : . 


i02 


ACADZ* 


feeble  an  clfort,  which  may  have  been  owing  to  dissensions 
between  Cliuich  and  Hawthorne.  With  this  ended  the  war 
froni  1690  to  1696,  which  is  generally  known  as  Kin^  Wil- 
liam's Wur,  and  by  the  treaty  of  Ryswick,  Acadia  wap  once 
iiioie  leuloied  to  Fiance. 


FALL  OF  PORT  ROYAL. 


The  Peace  of  Eyswick  was  scarcely  proclaimpu,  eve  the 
French  manifested  then"  intention  to  make  themselves  sole 
masters  of  the  fishery,  and  to  exclude  the  English  from  any 
part  of  the  territory  to  the  eastward  of  the  Kennebec.  In 
pursuance  of  these  claims,  Villebon  sent  a  messa^.'^e  to  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts  to  the  following  purport: — "I 
am  expressly  ordered  by  his  ^lajesty  to  maintain  the  bounds 
between  New  England  and  us,  which  are  from  Kennebec 
lUver  to  its  mouth,  leaving  the  course  of  the  river  free  to 
both  nations,  and  I  desire  that  you  wili  no  longer  consider 
the  Indians  there  your  subjects.  I  am  informed  that  you 
Lave  divers  fishermen  on  the  coast,  and  that  you  permit 
your  people  to  trade  in  the  French  ports.  You  may  rest 
assured,  su*,  that  I  shall  seize  all  the  English,  who  shall  be 
found  fishing  or  trading  there,  for  you  cannot  be  ignorant 
that  it  is  plainly  prohibited  by  the  treaty  between  the  two 
crowns,  a  copy  of  which  you,  yourself,  forwarded  to  me. 
jMonsieur  de  Bonaventure  has  also  sent  you  some  of  your 
fishing  vessels  which  he  has  taken,  and  acquainted  you  that 
if  they  presume  to  trade  on  the  coast  he  shall  con.sider  them 
tt3  lawful  prizes." 

lu  the  yeai*  1700  the  French  government  decided  to  aban- 
don the  forts  on  the  St.  John,  but  before  the  order  could  be 
cai'iied  into  ctlect  Villebon  died.  He  was  succoH'ded  by  Vil- 
lieu,  who  was  the  following-  >-ear  relieved  of  his  command 


' 


M 


II 


104 


ACAjnA 


by  M.  de  Brouillony  formerly  Governor  of  Flacentfa.     Tlifa 
last  named  governor  commenced  his  administration  with  a 
great  show  of  zeal  and  activity,  demohshed  the  fort  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  John  River,  recommended  the  fwt  at  Port 
Royal  to  be  built  of  atone.  iv.lvoeated  the  erection  of   a  re- 
doubt at  the  entrance  of  the  Basin,  besides  proposhig  other 
plans  lor  the  better  establishment  of  the  French  authority 
in  Acadia.     What  is  now  kuown  as  Queen  Anne's  War  was 
begun  in  1702,  otherwise  called  the  war  of  the-  Span'&'i  suc- 
cession,  which    involved  many  of  the  leailing  nations  of 
Europe.     England  and  France  could  not  remain  long  at  war 
without  their  respective  colonies  in  America  finding  a  pre- 
text to  open  hostilities  with  one  another.     Brouillon  was 
accused  of  encouraging  piracies  against  the  English   ship- 
ping,— La  Hove  being  made  the  headquarters-  of  the  free- 
booters,— and  of  using  the  proceeds  in  instigating  the  na- 
tives to  acts  of  hostility  against  the  people  of  New  England. 
An  armament  was  fifed  out  in  Boston,  comprising  three 
men-of-war  and  I'ourteeii  transports^  having  on  boai'd  550 
soldiers,  under  command  of  Colonel  Church,  for  the  purpose, 
as  Haliburtou  puts  it,  "of  ravaging  the  French  settlements  in 
Nova  Scotia ! "     The  instructions  given  to  Church  by  the 
Massachusetts    authorities,   after  authorizing  him  to  take 
command  of  the  force  destined  for  Nova  Scotia,  orders  him 
'•  to  have  prayers  on  ship  daily,  to  sanctify  the  Sabbath,  and 
to  forbid  all  profane  swearing  and  drunkenness."     The  next 
article  authorizes  him  to  burn,  plunder,  destroy,  and  get 
)>poil   wherever   he   could  effect  a  landing.     The  Puritan 
fathers  also  ofllered  a  bounty  of  one  hundred  pounds  for  each 
male  Indian  over  twelve  years  of  age,  if  soalped:  one  hun- 
dred and  live  jjounds  if  taken  prisoner  ;  fifty  pounds  for  each 
woman  and  child  scalped,  and  fifty  pounds  when  brought 
in  alive !  * 


*T)k>  (U'prcp  of  rofinenieiit  which  chnrficterized  these  early  wars,  is 
fui'tbcr  illu^tralvd  in  the  following:  "Villieu,  atone  time  Governor  of 


FAT.L  OF  PORT  llOTAL 


105 


Church  first  sailed  up  the  river  Penobscot,  where  he  took 
a  number  of  prisoners,  among  them  tlie  daughter  of  Baion  St. 
Castin  and  her  children.  From  thence  the  boats  proceeded 
up  the  Passamaquoddy,  destroying  the  settlements  and  per- 
petrating several  acts  of  outrage  upon  the  unolVending  in- 
habitants. Here  the  expedition  was  divided — the  men-of- 
war  steering  for  Port  Pioyal,  and  the  whale  boa":; for  Minas 
(now  Horton).  At  the  latter  place  the  inhabitants  offerea 
some  resistance,  and  the  EngHsh  thereupon  totally  destroy- 
ed the  populous  village,  plundered  the  inhabitants,  broke 
down  the  dikes,  made  several  prisoners,  and  joined  tlieniiiiii 
force  in  the  harbor  of  Port  Royal.  After  some  ineffectual 
attempts  to  carry  the  place,  the  project  was  abandoned, 
Church  evidently  having  little  taste  lor  hard  fighting,  and 
BO  bore  away  to  Chignecto,  which  country  he  had  ravaged 
eight  years  before,  and  whose  reduction  involved  less  mill- 
tary  force.  Here  he  burned  twenty  houses,  kiLed  ojie  hun- 
dred and  twenty  horned  cattle,  and  did  the  uniortumita  in- 
habitants all  the  harm  in  his  power.  Then  he  returned  to 
Boston  to  receive  the  thanks  of  the  Legislature  for  his  ser- 
vices. 

An  inc>!^cent  illustrating  the  character  of  these  expeditions 
is  given  id  Chur.ii's  own  words,  in  his  dispatch  to  the  Gov- 
ernor. A  E'jHill  island  on  Passamaquoddy  Bay  was  invaded 
by  the  forces  under  Col.  Church,  at  night.  There  was  no 
resistance,  the  inhabitants  all  gave  xi\j.  "But,  lookiijg  over 
a  little  run,  1  saw  something  look  black  just  by  me :  stopped 
and  heard  a  talking ;  stepped  over  and  saw  a  little  hut  or 
wi<;wam,  with  a  crowd  oi  people  round  about  it,  which  was 
contrary  to  my  former  directions.  I  asked  them  what  they 
M'ere  doing  ?  They  replied,  there  were  some  of  the  enemy 
in  a  house,  and  would  not  come  out.     I  asked  what  house  ? 


Acndin,  presented  to  Frontenac,  the  Governor  of  Canada,  a  string  of 
English  Bcalps;— a  flue  prt'sent  for  one  French  geutlcmau  to  bestow  up. 
on  another." 


It' 


I  Hi 


^ 


Ht 


11  h 


ti 


il 


1  I 


ill 


1'^  !|  • 

,1:1 1 
till      ' 


106 


AOADIA 


They  said,  *a  bark  house.'  I  hastily  bid  them  pull  it  down, 
and  knock  them  on  the  head,  never  asking  whether  they 
were  French  or  India)is,  they  being  all  enemies  alike  tofne." 

There  were  some  in  Boston  Avho  did  not  approve  of  the 
acts  of  the  Squaw-killer,  for  his  historian  says,  "  after  Church 
came  home,  some  evil-minded  person  did  their  endeavors  to 
injure  him  for  taking  away  life  unlawfully." 

In  the  year  1704  an  expedition  from  Canada,  consisting  of 
French  and  Indians,  under  Major  Rouville,  attacked  Deer- 
field,  on  the  Connecticut  River,  applied  the  torch,  killed 
forty  of  the  inhabitants,  and  carried  one  hundred  and  twelve 
away  to  the  wilderness.  Among  the  captives  was  Rev.  John 
Williams,  the  village  pastor,  whose  little  daughter,  after  a 
long  residence  with  the  Indians,  became  attached  to  them, 
and  married  a  Mohawk  Chief.  The  minister's  wife,  and 
some  others,  who  were  not  able  to  travel  as  rapidly  as  suit- 
ed the  Indians,  were  killed.  On  his  arrival  at  Canada,  Mr. 
Williams  was  treated  with  respect  by  the  French,  and  was 
afterward  ransomed  and  allowed  to  return  home.  The  chief 
object  of  the  attack  on  Deerlield  seems  to  have  been  to  carry 
ofif  the  bell  that  hung  in  William's  Church.  That  bell  was 
purchased,  the  previous  year-,  for  the  Church  of  Saut  St. 
Louis,  at  Caughwanaga,  near  Montreal.  The  vessel  in  whi(!h 
it  was  brought  over  from  Havre  was  captured  by  a  New 
JhJngland  privateer,  and  the  bell  was  purchased  for  the  Deer- 
field  meeting-house.  Father  Nicholas,  of  Caughwanaga, 
accompanied  the  expedition,  and  the  bell  was  carried  in  tri- 
umph to  its  original  destination,  where  it  stiil  remains. 

Brouillon,  the  Acadian  Governor,  went  to  France  in  1704, 
and  Bonaventure  was  left  in  command.  Brouillon's  time 
iu  France  seems  to  have  been  occupied  in  justifjinghisown 
conduct  while  in  Acadia,  and  in  making  accusations  against 
others.  Ho  set  out  on  his  return  late  in  the  following  sura- 
mer,  but  died  on  boai-d  ship  off  the  harbor  of  Chebucto 
His  body  was  committed  to  the  deep,  but  his  heart  was  car- 


FAT.T,  OP  PORT  BOYAI, 


107 


ried  to  Port  Royal,  where  it  was  inteviTd  with  military  hon- 
ors. Such  was  the  hatred  with  which  this  man  was  held, 
that  it  was  said  of  him  "the  public  were  unable  to  conceal 
theu' joy  at  his  loss." 

In  1706,  M.  de  Subercase  was  appointed  Governor  of  Ac- 
adia, and  arrived  at  Port  Royal.  He  proved  the  opposite 
in  character,  to  Brouillon,  and  was  much  belove.I;  for  the 
iSrst  time,  in  many  a  long  year,  harmony  reigned  in  the 
co!ony.  Says  Hannay:  "The  ponderous  volumes  which 
contain  the  correspondence  from  Acadia  at  that  period, 
afford  a  curious  illustration  of  the  condition  of  a  small 
t'ommunity,  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  outside  of 
the  great  movements  of  the  age,  and  whose  main  business 
seems  to  have  been  to  plot  against  and  slander  each  other. 
The  French  minister,  who  had  charge  of  Acadian  affairs,  re- 
ceived letters  from  governors,  judges,  officers,  priests  and 
private  citizens,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  letter  from  the  time 
of  Menneval  to  that  of  Subercase,  which  is  not  filled  with 
complaints  of  the  conduct  of  others.  One  of  the  most  com- 
mon complaints  against  the  Governors  of  Acadia,  was,  that 

they  traded  secretly  with  the  English But  no  class  of 

men  in  Acadia  had  more  charges  perferred  against  them 

than  the  priests No  doubt  a  false  zeal  frequently  led 

them  to  mingle  in  temporal  affairs  with  which  they  had  no 
concern,  but  every  one  will  desire  to  believe  that  their  con- 
duct was  generally  exemplary,  and  that  they  had  the  real 
interests  of  the  people  at  heart." 

There  was  great  activity  at  this  time  among  the  privateers, 
both  French  and  English,  and  the  number  of  prisoners  on 
each  side  became  burdensome.  Frequent  voyages  were 
made  between  Boston  and  Port  Royal  for  the  exchange  of 
prisoners;  it  was  surmised  that  this  was  made  a  pretext  for 
carrying  on  an  unlawful  trade  with  the  enemy.  Even  Gov- 
eiDOj  Dudiey  did  v.ot  escape  being  accused  of  implication, 
but  v/as    exonuiatcd  by  the  Legislature. 


b'  I' 

El 
El  '< 


i    1 


i 


if" 


108 


AQADIA 


Governor  Dudley  now  determined  to  show  his  zeal  for  the 
interests  of  New  England  by  a  strong  eflfort  for  the  capture 
of  Port  Royal,  and  with  it  all  Acadia.  Massachusetts  had 
long  coveted  this  beautiful  country,  and  therefore  procured 
the  assent  of  the  parent  government  to  raise  a  force  SLiffi- 
cient  for  the  conquest,  and  a  pledge  that  if  conquered,  it 
phou'd  never  a;ain  be  ceded  to  France. 

Accordingly,  in  1707,  one  thousand  men  were  raised  in 
Massachusetts,  New  Hampshii'e  and  Hhode  Island,  and  the 
chief  command  given  to  Colonel  March  ;  and  on  the  17th  of 
May  of  that  j'ear,  they  arrived  before  Port  Roya",  under 
convoy  of  two  men-of-war.  Subercase  proved  himself  an 
active  and  efficient  officer,  and  so  disposed  the  forces  under 
his  command  as  to  check  the  English  in  every  attack.  In 
this  he  was  assisted  by  a  son  of  Baron  St.  Castin,  who  was 
tiiere  to  command  the  Indians.  The  siege  was  abandoned 
after  it  had  lasted  eleven  days,  during  which  no  susceptible 
progress  had  been  made. 

Col.  March  wrote  from  Canso  of  the  failure  of  the  expe- 
dition, tidings  of  which  had  already  reached  Massachusetts. 
Gov.  Dudley  was  determined  that  another  effort  should  be 
made  before  so  fine  a  body  of  troops  should  be  allowed  to 
disperse.  He  ordered  that  no  soldier  should  land  from  the 
transports  under  pain  of  death ;  and  sending  Mai'ch  one 
hundi'ed  new  recruits,  with  three  commissioners  to  super- 
vise the  conduct  of  the  expedition,  directed  an  immediate 
return  to  Port  Royal.  The  place  was  the  second  time  in- 
vested on  the  20th  of  August.  The  English  "  unfortunately 
fell  into  several  ambuscades,  in  which  they  suffered  severe- 
ly;" u  violent  epidemic  disorder  broke  out  among  them,  and 
it  was  dolermiued  in  general  council,  to  make  good  their  re- 
1  reat  before  they  wpre  so  weakened  as  to  render  embarka- 
tion a  malter  of  difficulty.  On  the  1st  of  September  the 
New  England  troops  embarked,  and  sailed  away  from  Port 
Itoya],  where  they  twice  met  with  such  a  mortifying  want  of 


II 


PALL  OP  PORT  BOTAL 


109 


SQccess.    But,  as  the  sequel  will  show,  the  wai'like  spuit  of 
the  Puritan  fathers  was  still  undauuted. 

During  the  year  1709,  Captain  Vetch,  who  had  been  fre- 
•quently  to  Acadia  on  trading  voyages,  went  to  England  to 
solicit  the  aid  of  the  parent  government  in  reducing  that 
province.  He  xeturned  home  with  the  assurance  that  a 
fleet  would  be  sent  out  to  co-ope  rate  with  the  colonies  in 
an  expedition  against  Quebec,  and  bore  a  command  from 
Her  Majesty,  Queen  Anne,  that  they  should  enlist  troops 
for  that  purpose.  Five  regiments  were  to  be  sent  out  from 
Englanu,  with  a  squadron  of  ships,  to  be  joined  by  twelve 
hundred  colonists  at  Boston, — the  united  forces  to  proceed 
against  Quebec ;  an  additional  force  of  fifteen  hundred  men 
were  to  march  by  way  of  the  lakes  and  attack  "NIonLreEd. 
The  latter  force  advanced  to  the  place  of  rendezvous  on 
Lake  Champlain,  and  the  New  England  troops  were  assem- 
bled at  Boston  at  the  appointed  time,  but  the  promised  Eng- 
lish fleet  did  not  appear.  The  vessels  had  been  put  in  read- 
ness,  and  the  British  regularn  were  on  the  point  of  embark- 
ing, when  the  exigencies  of  the  European  war  diverted 
the  troops  to  another  destination.  Great  was  the  disap- 
pointment to  the  Colonists,  and  the  necessary  expenses 
of  the  proposed  expedition  bore  heavily  upon  the  impov- 
«hsbed  state  of  their  finances. 

Another  expedition  was  resolved  upon  the  following  year, 
having  for  its  object  the  reduction  of  Port  Royal,  which 
was  deemed  a  more  feasible  enterprise  than  the  capture  of 
Quebec.  Accordingly,  on  the  18fch  of  September,  a  squad- 
ron of  four  men-of-war,  and  twenty-nine  transports,  set  sail 
from  Boston  under  command  of  Col.  Nicholson,  aiiiving  at 
Port  Royal  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month. 

The  troops  consisted  of  one  regiment  of  Marines  from 
Europe,  and  four  regiments  of  Provincials  raised  in  New 
iiingiaud,  but  commissioned  by  the  Queen,  and  armed  at  the 
royal  expense.     At  the  entrance  of  the  haibor  of  Port  Roy- 


110 


ACADM 


I :  i 


al  one  of  the  transports  was  wrecked,  and  twenty-six  men^ 

with  all  the  stores  on  boaiu,  were  lost.  The  English  forces 
were  landed  without  opposition,  Subercase,  the  Governory 
had  but  two  hundred  and  sixty  eflfectual  men,  and  most  of 
these  he  was  utraid  to  trust  out  of  the  fort,  lest  they  should 
desert  to  the  English.  As  Col.  Nicholson  was  mai-ching  up 
toward  the  fort,  several  soldiers  were  shot  by  the  inhabit- 
ants from  behind  lences ;  and  for  several  days,  while  pre- 
liminaries to  the  siege  were  being  made,  the  French  contin- 
ued to  thj'ow  shot  and  shell  from  the  fort 

On  the  29th,  Subercase  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce,  praying 
that  the  ladies  of  the  i'ort  might  leave  to  a  place  of  greater 
safety.  By  the  1st  of  October,  three  batteries  were  opened 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  The  English  contin- 
ued to  work  in  their  trenches,  though  severely  cannonaded 
by  the  French,  until  the  evening  of  tiie  10th,  when  they  be- 
gan to  tire  bombs,  two  of  which  fell  into  the  fort.  During 
the  night  fii'ty  oi'  the  inhabitants  and  several  soldiers  desert- 
ed: those  remaining  presented  a  petition  to  Subercase,  ask- 
ing; him  to  surrender.  He  resolved  to  call  a  council  of  hia 
officers  to  consider  what  should  be  done.  "A  council  of  war 
never  fi;>hts ; "  a  cessation  of  arms  was  agreed  upon,  and 
the  terms  of  capitulation  soon  settled.  On  the  13th  of 
October  the  articles  were  signed,  sui-rendering  the  fort  to 
Her  Majesty,  Queen  Anne  of  Great  Britain.  The  garrison 
were  permitted  to  march  out  with  their  arms  and  baggage, 
with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying,  and  were  to  be  pro- 
vided with  transportation  to  Kochelle,  in  France.  The 
officers  were  allowed  to  take  with  them  all  their  effects ;  the 
Canadians  had  leave  to  retire  to  Canada;  the  furniture  and 
ornaments  of  the  chapel  were  to  be  respected,  and  the  in- 
habitants within  cannon  shot  of  the  fort  were  to  be  protect- 
ed. This  article  was  probably  intended  to  protect  those  of 
the  people  who  had  tired  upon  the  English  on  their  ap- 
proach to  the  fort,  and  afterward  became  the  subject  oi  cou- 


ITAM,  t)/  POHT  RAVAL 


HI 


«derable  cojitro^  ersy.  The  English  lost  only  fifteen  mea 
in  their  expedition,  beside  the  twenty-six  who  were  wrecked 
on  the  transj^oi  t  Col.  Nicholson  left  a  gavriaon  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  volunteers,  under  the  coiinntind  of  Col. 
Vetili,  who  had  been  appoinlcd  Governor  of  that  country, 
una  returned  with  the  fieetaiid  army  to  Boston,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  26 ih  of  October.  Thus  was  the  tri-color  of 
France  torn  from  the  fortress  of  Port  Roj'al,  above  which  it 
had  waved  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  over  which  it  was 
■destined  never  more  to  float  as  an  emblen>  of  authority. 
The  expense  incurred  by  New  England  amounted  to  wJ3,- 
000,  which  was  afterward  reimbursed  by  Parliament. 

The  easy  success  of  the  English  forces  at  Port  Eoyal 
caused  an  expedition  to  be  fitted  out  against  Canada.  Fif- 
teen hundred  colonial  troops,  exclusive  of  a  large  body  of 
Indians,  were  placed  under  command  of  Colonel  Nicholson, 
who  were  to  march  against  llontrea'..  At  the  same  time  an 
English  fleet,  comprising  fifteen  men-of-war,  and  forty  trans- 
ports containing  5,000  veteran  soldiers,  under  Admiral  Walk- 
er, was  to  operate  against  Quebec.  During  a  terrible  Au- 
gust storm,  while  they  were  ascending  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, the  fleet  drove  down  on  the  Egg  Islands.  The  frig- 
ates were  saved  from  the  shoals,  but  several  transports  were 
wrecked  with  1,500  men  on  board,  and  900  brave  fellows, 
who  had  x^assed  scathless  through  the  sanguinary  battl-s  of 
Blenheim  and  Eamillies,  perishf'd  miserably  on  the  desolate 
shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  disaster  was  the  cause  of 
the  total  failure  of  the  expedition.* 

•  The  rreiich  ships,  which  visited  the  Islands  soon  after,  found  the 
wreck.*  of  ei^'ht  vt«!sels,  and  the  bodies  of  nearly  three  thousjmd  drowned 
pertjou"'.  lying  along  the  shore.  They  recognized  whole  companies  f>f  the 
Queen's  Giiards.  distinguished  by  their  red  coats;  and  several  Scotch  fam- 
iUes,  aiucng  them  seven  women,  all  clasping  each  other  s  bauds.  The 
French  colony  could  but  recognize  a  Providence  which  watched  singu- 
larly ovtsc  it*}  })rostuvation,  and  which,  not  satisfied  with  rescuing  it  from 


' 


\l 


•i 


'  Mi 


v> 


nsr 


ACADIA 


Colonel  Vetch  sent  a  deputation  to  Vandri*!?,  Governor 
of  Canada,  with  the  message  "that  if  he  did  not  restrain  the- 
savages  under  his  control  from  further  incursions  into  New 
England,  the  English  would  take  revenge  for  every  act  of 
hositility  comiuitted  by  them  upon  the  defenseless  Acadiatis 
now  in  their  power."  The  French  Governor  returned  an- 
swer— "if  these  threats  were  put  in  execution,  nothing 
should  prevent  him  from  delivering  up  every  English  pris- 
oner hito  the  hands  of  the  Indians. "^ 

The  court  of  France  at  last  began  to  awaken  to  a  sense  of 
the  real  va'.ue  of  the  province  they  had  lost.  The  King 
could  not  find  a  person  willing  to  take  ciiarge  of  an  expedi- 
tion for  its  recovery.  Vandrieul  had  appointed  Baron  St. 
Castiii*  to  the  command  of  the  Indians  of  Nova  Scotia,  with 
instiuctions  to  preserve  their  loyalty  to  the  French  King 
as  far  as  possible.  This  personage  raised  a  considerable 
body  of  Indians,  and  had  successfully  attacked  an  English 
party  in  what  is  now  New  Brunswick,  and  was  mai'ching  to 
the  attack  of  Port  Koyal.  The  commanding  British  officers 
at  Port  Royai,  took  three  priests  and  five  of  the  prin  .-ipal 
inhabitants  and  shut  them  up  as  hostages,  proclaiming  that 
*'upon  the  least  insurrectionary  movement,  he  would  execute 
these  innocent  persons  in  retaliation."  As  an  additional 
measure  of  safety,  he  undertook  to  force  the  dispersed  in- 
habitants to  swear  allegiance  to  the  English.  This  was 
peculiarly  distasteful  to  the  French  Acadiaus,  and  they  re- 
Bo.ved  not  to  submit.  A  body  of  sixty  men  was  sent  out 
under  Captain  Pigeon,  to  enforce  this  regulation,  and  re- 
duce the  uisaflfected  to  obedience.  They  bad  not  proceeded 
far  when  they  were  surprised  by  a  body  of  Indians,  who 


the  lEtiejvtest  dnnger  it  had  yet  run,  had  enriched  it  with  the  spoils  of  an 
eneiHv  whom  it  had  not  the  pains  to  conquer;  hence  they  rendered  him 
most  heartfelt  thanks.     (Charlevoix. ) 

*  This  was  the  Baron's  half-breed  son. 


VALL  OF  PORT  ROTAL 


m 


"killed  tho  fort  major,  the  engineer,  ami  all  the  boat's  crew, 
and  took  from  thirty  to  forty  English  prisoners.  The  scene 
of  this  disaster  is  ahnost  twelve  miles  from  the  fort,  on  the 
road  to  Halifax,  and  is  still  called  Bloody  Creek.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  tempted  the  inhabitants  to  tike  up  arms,  and 
five  hundred  of  them,  with  as  many  Indians  under  St.  Cas- 
tin,  embodied  Uiomselves  to  attack  the  fort."  Bui  not  hav- 
ing an  efficient  officer  to  takf  chief  command,  they  had  to 
abandon  the  interprise  and  disperse.  On  the  11th  of  April, 
1713,  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  was  signed,  and  France  and 
England  were  once  raoie  at  peace.  By  this  treaty  it  was 
stipulated  that  "all  Nova  Scotia,  or  Acadia,  comprehfnded 
within  its  ancient  boundaries,  as  a'.so  the  city  of  Port  Royal, 
now  called  Annapolis,"  were  yielded  and  made  over  to  the 

Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  to  her  crown  forever. 

h 


i 


ir 


«i 

[ 

■    i: 

i, 
•H 

''ill 

1 

TROUBLES  OF  THE  FRENCH. 


By  the  trenty  of  Utrecht,  Acadia  and  Newfoundland  were 
ceded  to  Eujiflund, — France  retaining  Cape  Breton,  Prince 
Edward's  and  other  islands  in  the  St.  Lawrence  Gulf.  The 
way  was  thus  left  clear  for  France  to  erect  other  military 
establishments  by  v/ay  of  retaining  practical  control  of  the 
fisheries  of  those  waters, — an  oi^portnuity  of  which  she  was 
not  slow  to  avail  herself  in  the  founding  of  a  great  fortress 
on  the  shores  of  English  Harbor,  on  the  island  of  Cape  Bre- 
ton, which  afterward  became  the  widely-famed  and  potent 
Lonisbour^'  • 

The  population  of  "  Acadia"'  at  this  time  was  in  all  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred  souls.  It  was  composed,  al- 
most exclusively,  of  French  who  were  strict  adherents  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith.  By  the  stern  decrees  of  war,  military 
domination  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  fon-ign  power, 
and  the  French  of  Nova  Scotia  beheld  a  fortress  in  their 
very  midst,  that  had  been  built  by  French  capital,  now  gar- 
risoned with  English  soldiers,  to  whom  they  must  bow  sub- 
missively, and  aid  in  their  support.  This  wi  <  at  that  peri- 
od of  the  world's  history  when  the  sanguinavy  wars  of  i  e- 
ligion  were  fiercely  raging,  and  when  the  bitter  jealoiui  'S 
and  antagonisms  of  the  contending  factions  were  at  tbfir 
hight.  Both  Romanist  and  Protestant  professed  to  believe 
that  they  would  do  God  service  by  desiiovin-;  all  who  would 
not  give  assent  to  their  form  of  reugion — which  contributed 


T^ 


TROUBLES  OF  THE  FRRNCa 


116 


an  incrcasccl  rancor  to  the  contoHt.  We  have,  then,  a  Prot- 
estant En^jliKh  garrison  liokling  military  domination  by  con- 
quewt  over  u  French  Catholic  Bubjugated  people;  that  there 
Hhould  be  a  lack  of  unity  of  feeling  and  interest,  and  • 
mutual  distviiHt  and  hatred  of  one  another,  is  not  strange. 

Though  nominally  the  subject sof  Great  Britain,  the  Aca- 
dinns  could  not  be  ^xpeeted  to  forget  the  land  of  their 
fathers.  A  continued  intercourse  was  kept  up  between  An- 
napolis, Minas,  Chignccto,  and  the  adjacent  settlements, — 
each  locality  having  its  Popish  priest,  who  was  largely  en- 
trusted with  tlio  guidance  of  their  temporal  affairs. 

The  influence  that  tliese  priests  exercisod  over  the  simple 
Acadiaijs  is  admitted  to  have  been  very  great.  They  acted 
under  orders  from  a  central  power  at  Quebec ;  but  a  full 
cogi;izance  i  the  nature  of  the  instructions  that  emanated 
from  the  Cathe.lial  of  Notre  Dame  was  never  given  to  the 
outside  world.  Our  information  is  deiived  mostly  irom 
English  sources,  poisoned  with  a  jealousy  of  conflicting  inter- 
ests, and  prejutliced  with  a  belief  in  Papist  i)erfidiousiiess. 
There  is  abundant  evidence  that  some  of  the  charges  against 
the  priests  were  well  founded ;  and  the  English  seem  to 
have  adopted  the  principle  that  the  guilty  in  part,  were  as  a 
natural  sequence,  guilty  of  the  whole.  The  mistaken  zeal 
and  shortsightedness  of  such  of  the  clergy  as,  forgetful  of 
their  higher  calling,  stooped  to  instigate  measures  against 
the  English,  only  wrought  injury  and  final  ruin  on  the  peo- 
ple for  whom  they  plotted. 

A  short  time  subsequent  to  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of 
"Utrecht,  Queen  Anne  wrote  to  Nicholson,  then  Governor  of 
Nova  Scotia,  as  follows : — 

"Whereas  our  good  brother  the  most  Christian  King, 
hath,  at  our  desira,  released  from  imprisonment  on  buuid 
his  gaiiey,  tiuch  ol  his  subjects  as  were  detained  there  on 
account  of  their  proiessiug  the  Piotesiant  religion  ;  We 
being  willing  to  show  by  some  mark  oi  our  favor  towards 


i 

1 1 


•i! 


I 


! 

\ 


i 


I 


,    :. 


i    !  1  Ml 


IS 


I  'P. 


116 


AOAUIA 


his  subjects  how  kind  we  take  his  compliance  therein,  have 
therefore  thought  t^t  hereby  to  signify  our  will  and  pleasure 
to  you,  that  you  permit  sucli  of  them  as  have  any  lands  or 
teneiuents  in  the  places  under  our  government  in  Acadia 
and  Newrouudlaud,  that  have  been  or  are  to  be  yielded  to 
us  by  virtuo  of  tlie  late  Treaty  of  Peace,  and  are  willing  to 
continue  our  suujects,  to  retaui  and  enjoy  theii-  said  lauda 
and  tenements  ^vltllout  any  mo:ehtation,  as  i'uily  and  freely 
as  other  of  our  subjects  do,  or  may  possess  their  lands  or 
estates,  or  to  sell  tue  same  ii  they  shall  rataer  cuuose  to  re- 
move elsewhere.  And  for  so  domg  this  siiall  be  your  war- 
rant." 


When  Port  Koyal  was  taken  it  was  stipulated  that  such 
as  lived  within  a  league  of  the  i'ort  should  remain  upon  their 
estates  two  years,  oa  takiug  the  oatn  of  allegiance.  By  the 
treaty  of  Utrecht  the  subjects  of  the  King  of  France  were  to 
"  liave  liberty  to  remove  themselves  within  a  yeai"  to  any 
other  place,  with  all  their  niov  able  efl'ects.  But  those  who 
are  willing  to  remain,  and  to  be  subject  to  the  Kuig  of  Gi'eat 
Britain,  are  to  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion  ac- 
cording to  the  usage  of  the  Church  of  Kome,  as  fai*  as  the 
laws  oi  Great  Britain  do  allow  the  same." 

In  1714  Governor  Nicholson  proposed  to  the  Acadiana 
either  to  become  subjects  of  the  British  Crown,  or  remove 
in  compliance  with  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  Upon  every  ap- 
plication that  was  made  to  them  for  that  purpose  they  firm* 
ly  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  They  however  ex- 
pressed their  readiness  to  accept  an  oath  that  would  not  re- 
quire them  to  take  up  arms  either  against  the  King  of  Eng< 
land  or  France,  or  against  the  Indians. 

The  following  is  from  Paul  Mascerene  to  British  Lords 
of  Trade:  "Canso  Island  has  been  found  so  convenient 
and  advantageous  for  catching  and  curing  codfish,  that  of 
late  it  has  been  the  resort  of  numbers  of  the  English,  as  it 
was  of  French  before  the  seizure  made  by  Captain  iSmart. 
This  stroke  was  so  grievous  to  the  I'repch,  who  were  cou- 


i 


TBOUBLES  or  THE  FREMOS 


117 


oemed  in  this  loss,  tliat  seeing  that  they  could  not  obtain 
the  satisfaction  they  demanded,  they  have  been  at  work  all 
this  spring,  and  incited  the  Indians  to  assemble  at  Canso 
and  to  surprise  the  English  who  were  securely  fishing  therci 
and  having  killed  and  wounded  some,  drove  the  rest  off  the 
sea.  By  means  of  this  hurry  and  confusion  whilst  the  In- 
dians were  plundering  the  dry  goods,  the  Freiich  weie  rob- 
bing the  fish  and  transporting  it  away,  till  the  English,  hav- 
ing recovered  themselves,  sent  after  them,  and  seized  several 
of  their  shallops  laden  with  English  fish  and  other  plunder, 
and  made  the  robbers  prisoners." 

Governor  Phillips,  residing  at  Annapolis,  writing  to  Board 
of  Trade,  complains  "  that  the  French  councils  tend  toward 
exciting  the  ludiiins  into  a  general  war,  but  that  the  Indiana 
(who  are  not  without  cunning)  cannot  be  brought  to  a  dec- 
laration of  war  because  the  French  cannot  openly  join  them 
and  are  determined  to  defer  it  to  another  opportunity." 

On  Sunday,  the  25th  of  September,  172G,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Armstrong  met  a  deputation  of  the  inhabitants  oi 
Annapolis  at  the  Flag  Bastion.  His  Honor,  the  Lieutenaot- 
(iovernor,  •'  told  them  he  was  glad  to  see  them,  and  hoped 
they  had  so  far  considered  their  own  and  their  children's 
future  advantaf,es,  that  they  were  come  with  a  full  resolu- 
tion to  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  like  good  subjects 

Whereupon,  at  the  request  of  some  of  the  inhabitants,  a 
French  translation  of  the  oath  required  to  be  taken  was  read 
to  them.  Upon  which,  some  of  them  desired  that  a  clause 
whereby  they  may  not  be  obliged  to  carry  arms,  might  be 
inserted.  The  Govei'nor  told  them  that  they  had  no  reason 
to  tear  any  such  thing  as  that,  it  being  contrary  to  the  lawa 
of  Great  Britain,  that  a  Iloinan  Catlioiic  should  serve  in  the 
army.  His  Majesty  having  so  many  faithful  Protestant 
subjects  first  to  provide  for,  and  that  all  His  Majesty  re- 
quued  of  them  was  to  be  faithful  subjects,  not  to  join  with 
any  enemy,  but  tor  theii-  own  iuterMSt  to  diseover  ail  trait- 


i    *r. 


■t 


)! 


/I 


118 


ACADIA 


orous  and  evil  designs,  plots  and  conspiracies,  any  wise- fovmdl 
against  Hi«  Majesty's  subjects  and  government,  and  so 
peaceably  and  quietly  to  enjoy  and  improve  their  estates. 
But  they  upon  the  motion  made  as  aforesadd  still  refusing, 
and  desiring  the  same  clause,  governed  by  the  advice  of 
the  Council  granted  the  same  to  be  writ  upon  the  margin 
of  the  French  translation  in  order  to  get  them  over  by  de- 
grees. Whereupon  they  took  and  subscribed  the  same  both 
in  French  and  English."*  AVe  may  add  that  this  paper  did 
not  receive  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  the 
act  of  Armstrong  was  annulled ;  and  also  the  singular  fact 
that  neither  the  original  document  nor  a  copy  of  it  can  be 
found.  In  consequence  of  this  exemption  they  were  after- 
wards known  as  the  '*  Neutral  French," 

Governor  Aim  strong  subsequently  sent  Captain  Bennett 
to  iliiias  and  Eusigu  Phillips  to  Beaubassin,  two  of  the 
principal  settlements,  to  administer  oaths  to  the  inhabitants. 
"They  are  both  returned,"  he  says  in  his  report  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  State,  "with  the  sail  iuhabitauts  answers  and  res- 
olutions not  to  take  any  oath  but  to  their  Notre  Bon  Roy 
ile  France^  as  they  express  it." 

Enough  has  been  said  to  show  the  causes  at  work,  which 
were,  in  a  quarter  of  a  century,  to  end  in  the  utter  overthrow 
of  the  French  people  in  Acadia ; — the  distrust  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  the  protestations  of  innocence  on  the  pait  of  the 
French,  and  the  determination  of  the  latter  not  to  subsci-ibe 
to  any  oath  binding  themselves  to  take  up  ai'ms  against  their 
own  country  and  kindred 

One  of  the  most  singular  accusations  bi'ought  against 
the  French  at  that  time  was,  that  "  they  had  told  the  Indi- 
ans the  English  were  the  people  who  crucified  our  Savior." 
This  story  was  current  thioughout  New  England  at  that 


*  Nova  Scotia  Archives. 
I-  good  King  of  France. 


TROUBLES  OP  THE  FRENCH 


119 


day,  and  the  cruelties  of  the  Indians  often  attiibuted  to  it. 
Halibuiton  claims  there  is  nothing  to  support  such  a  charge. 
About  this  time  there  existed  on  the  banks  of  the  Kenne- 
bec a  beautiful  Indian  village  named  Novridgwock.  An 
aged  missionary  resided  among  them,  who  had  been  their 
teacher  for  a  period  of  forty  years.  The  village  contained 
a  fhapel,  and  was  defended  by  a  rude  fortification.  This 
Romanist  was  highly  accomplished,  and  his  life  liteially  one 
long  martyrdom ;  being  a  correspondent  and  friei}d  of  the 
Governor  of  Canada,  the  English  believed  he  might  be  the 
instigator  of  hostilities  of  the  Indians.  Under  this  impres- 
sion they  fitted  out  a  force  from  Massachusetts,  consisting 
of  upwards  of  two-hundred  men,  with  orders  to  attack  the 
village.  This  force  arrived  at  Norridgwock,  completely  tak- 
ii.g  the  Indians  by  surprise.  Charlevoix  relates  that  the 
Priest  Ralle,  though  unprepared,  was  unintiniidated,  and 
showed  himself  at  once  in  front,  in  hopes  of  diverting  the 
attention  of  the  enemy  to  himself  and  screen  his  be.oved 
flock  by  the  voluntary  offering  of  his  own  life.  As  soon  as 
he  was  seen  he  was  saluted  with  a  great  shout  and  a  shower 
of  bullets,  and  fell  together  with  seven  Indians  who  had 
rushed  out  of  their  tents  to  defend  him  with  their  bodies. 
When  the  pursuit  had  ceased,  the  Indians  returned  to  find 
their  Missionary  dead  at  the  foot  of  the  village  cross,  his 
body  perforated  with  balls,  his  scalp  taken,  his  skull  broken 
with  IjIows  of  hatchets,  his  mouth  filled  with  mud,  the  bones 
of  his  legs  broken  and  otherwise  mangled.  The  Indians 
buried  him  on  the  site  of  the  chapel,*  that  edifice  having 
been  hewn  down  with  its  crucifix,  and  whatever  else  the  au- 
sai.ants  considered  emblems  of  idolatry.  They  had  likewise 
destroyed  the  buildings  and  pillaged  the  encampment.  Now 
beneaih  its  ruins,  was  interred  the  body  of  him  who  had  the 


;i     ' 


•The  bell  of  Fatber  Rnlle's  little  chapel  escaped,  and  is  still  preserved 
ill  the  cabinet  of  l^owdoiu  College,  Maiue. 


i,: !( 


120 


ACADIA 


evening  before  celebrated  the  rites  of  his  religion  within  its 
walls.  "  The  death  of  Balle  caused  great  rejoicing  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  when  Hai'mon,  who  was  senior  in  command 
carried  the  scalps  of  his  victims  to  Boston — ^this  string  of 
bloody  trophies,  including  the  scalps  of  women  and  children 
and  an  aged  priest — he  was  received  as  if  he  had  been  some 
great  general,  fresh  from  the  field  of  victoi-y." 

A  certain  Captain  John  Lovewell,  emulous  of  Harmon's 
fame  as  a  taker  of  scalps,  and  with  a  patriotism  fired  by  the 
lai'ge  bounty  offered  by  Massachusetts  for  that  kind  of  ar- 
ticle, gathered  a  baud  of  volunteers,  and  commenced  scaliv 
hunting  on  the  borders  of  New  Hampshire.  They  killed 
one  Indian  for  whose  scalp  the  company  received  £100.  He 
started  next  year  with  forty  men,  surprised  ten  Indians  by 
their  camp  tire  at  Salmon  Falls,  whose  scalps  netted  £1000. 
In  a  subsequent  fight  he  lost  his  own  scalp,  as  did  thirty- 
four  of  his  men.* 

Meanwhile  the  administration  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Armstrong,  at  Annapolis  Royal,  was  meeting  with  oppos- 
ition. At  a  council  held  at  his  house  in  September,  1727, 
at  which  time  the  inhabitants  were  ordered  to  assemble  to 
take  the  oath,  an  answer  was  read,  but  not  being  subsciibed, 
"it  was  returned  to  the  three  deputies  who  presented  it, 
who  were  ordered  to  attend  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
together  with  the  inhabitants,  and  then  adjourned  the  board 
to  that  time.  ....  The  Deputies  being 

admitted,  again  presented  the  afoi'esaid  paper  subscribed 
by  almost  seventy  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  Board  resolved  that  the  said  paper  is  insolent,  re- 
bellious, and  highly  disrespectful  to  his  Majesty's  authori- 
ty and  government,  that  his  Honor  would  please  to  tender 
the  oaths  to  the  inhabitants,  and  in  case  of  refusal  to  com- 
mit the  leaders  to  prison.     It  was  "ordered  that  the  three 


*  Hannay. 


ON  THE  FISHING  BANKS. 


II 


■  V   i 


! 

y 


I 


ti 


TROUBLES  Of  "B".  Fr.TSNCH 


121 


deputies,  for  their  contempt  and  disrespect  to  his  Majesty's 
government  and  authority,  be  committed  to  prison,  and  that 
the  other  inhabitants  for  having  refused  the  oaths  shnli  bf 
debarred  from  fishing  upon  the  British  coasts  until  his  Maj- 
esty's further  pleasure  shall  be  known  concerning  them. 

Governor  Phillips  obtained  an  oath  from  the  people  of 
Annapolis  River  in  the  winter  of  1730,  of  which  the  Lords 
of  Trade  complained  as  not  having  been  explicit  enough.* 

Gov.  Armstrong  writes  from  Annapolis  Roya'  to  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle :  "I  am  sorry  this  Province  should  be  in  such 
a  poor  condition  as  it  is  really  in,  after  having  been  so  long 
as  upwards  of  twenty-one  years  (which  may  be  said  imagin- 
ary only)  under  the  English  government ;  for  the  inhabit- 
ants here  being  all  French  and  Roman  Catholics,  are  more 
subject  to  our  neighbors  of  Quebec  and  Caiie  Breton  than 
to  his  Majesty,  whose  government  by  all  their  proceedings 
(notwithstanding  of  their  Oath  of  Fidelity)  they  seem  to  de- 
spise, being  entirely  governed  by  their  most  insolent  priests, 
who,  for  the  most  part  come  and  go  at  pleasure,  pretending 
for  their  sanction  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  without  taking  the 
least  notice  of  this  Government,  in  spite  of  all  endeavors 
used  to  the  contrary.  I  must  also  inform  your  Grace  that 
the  Indians  aie  employed  in  the  affair,  and  use  for  an  argu- 
ment that  although  the  English  conquered  Annapolis,  they 
never  did  Minas,  and  other  parts  of  the  Province,  and  in 
consequence  of  such  arguments  instilled  into  them,  they 
have  actually  robbed  the  gentlemen  of  the  Colliery  by 
Chickenectua.  destroyed  their  house  and  magazine  built 
there,  through  pretense  of  a  rent  due  them  for  the  land  and 


I  1 

i 


:*  i. 


iM 


i 

1 


•The  following  was  the  form  of  the  oath :  "  Je  promets  et  Jure  Sin- 
oerement  en  Foi  de  Chretien  que  Je  serai  eutierenient  Fidele,  et  Obeirai 
Vraiment  Sa  Majeste  Le  Roy  George  le  Second,  qui  Je  reconnoi  pov.t  L« 
Souvitiin  Seigneur  de  L'Accadie  ou  Nouvelle  Ecosse.  Ainsi  Dieu  m« 
SoitenAide." 


! 


.Ul 


I 


u 


I' 
III  1 11 


i 


II 1'^ 


122 


ACADIA 


liberty  of  digging ;  being  advised,  as  I  am  informed,  by 
Governor  St.  Ovid,  that  if  they  permit  such  designs  of  the 
English  to  succeed,  that  the  Province  will  be  entirely  lost." 

Also  a  letter  from  the  same  at  a  later  date:  "Your  Grace 
will  be  informed  how  high  the  French  Government  cairies 
her  pretensions  over  their  Priests'  obedience,  and  the  people 
of  the  Province,  being  Papists,  are  absolutely  governed  by 
their  influence.  How  dangerous  this  may  prove,  in  time,  to 
his  Majesty's  authority  and  the  peace  of  the  Province  I  know 
not,  without  we  could  have  roissionavieB  from  some  place  in- 
dependent of  that  crown,  but  this  will  prove  a  considerable 
expense  which  the  French  King  beai's  at  present  with  alac- 
rity for  very  political  reasons.  Itis  most  certain  there  is  not 
a  missionary  neither  among  the  Frencli  nor  Indians  who 
has  n't  a  pens'on  from  that  crown." 

Still  another  source  of  trouble  to  the  Acadian  Governors 
seems  to  have  arisen,  the  nature  of  which  will  be  seen  by 
the  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  Paul  Mascarene,  now 
Governor  at  Annapolis,  to  the  Secretary  of  State : — 

"  The  increase  of  the  French  inhabitants  calls  for  some 
fresh  instructions  how  to  dispose  of  them.  They  have  divid- 
ed the  lands  they  were  in  possession  of,  and  which  his  ATaj- 
esty  was  pleased  to  allow  them  on  their  taking  the  oaths  of 
allegiance,  and  now  they  apply  for  new  grants,  which  ihe 
Governor  did  not  think  himself  authorized  to  favor  them 
with,  as  his  Majesty's  instructions  on  that  hoad  prescribe 
the  grant  of  unappropriated  lands  to  Protestant  subjects 
only.  This  delay  has  occasioned  several  of  tiie  inhabitants 
to  settle  themselves  on  the  skirts  of  this  Province,  pietty 
far  distant  from  this  place,  notwithstanding  proclamationa 
and  orders  to  the  contrary  have  been  often  repeated,  and  it 
has  not  been  thought  advisable  hitherto  to  dispossess  tbh-m 
by  force.  If  they  are  debarred  from  new  possessions  they 
must  live  here  miserably  and  conseque)  tly  be  troublesome, 
or  else  they  will  continue  to  possess  new  tracts  contrary  to 
orders,  or  they  must  be  made  to  withdraw  to  the  neighoor- 
ing  French  colonies  of  Cape  Breton  or  Canada." 


TROrET.ES  or  THE  PT^FVCH 


123 


Another  complaint  Governor  Mascarene  has  to  make  is 
told  in  the  followinff  letter  to  Des  Ens'aves,  parish  priest  at 
Annapolis  for  many  years  :  "  You  mention  the  spiritual  to 
be  so  connected  with  the  temporal  as  sometimes  not  to  be 

divided.     This  proposition  requires  some  explanation 

Under  pretence  of  this  connection  the  missionaries  have 
often  usurped  the  power  to  malie  themselves  sovereign  judges 
and  arbiters  of  all  causes  amongst  the  people.  For  exam- 
pie  :  A  parishioner  complains  to  the  priest  that  his  neigh- 
bor owes  him,  and  the  priest  examines  the  neighbor  in  the 


way 


of   a   confession.     The   man  denies   his  owins:.     The 


p'.iest  doth  not  stop  where  he  should,  but  examines  wit- 
nesses, and  then  decides  in  a  judicial  manner  and  condemns 
the  party  to  make  restitution  ;  and  to  oblige  him  thereunto 
reiuses  to  administer  the  sacrament  by  which  means  the 
man  is  in  a  woful  case,  and  must  i-ather  submit  to  be  de- 
prived of  his  goods  than  to  incur  damnation,  as  he  believes, 
by  not  receiving  absolution  from  the  priest.  Consider  how 
this  tends  to  render  all  civil  judicature  useless." 

In  1742  it  was  publicly  ordered  that  "no  Romish  priest  of 
any  degree  or  denomination  shall  presume  to  exercise  any 
of  their  ecclasiastical  jurisdiction  within  this  his  Majesty's 
Province." 

The  French  Acadians  in  their  objections  to  taking  the  oath 
of  allegiance,  gave  as  a  reason  that  they  were  at'raid  of  the 
Bavages,  unless  the  English  had  a  force  at  hand  able  to  pro- 
tect them.  This  reason  has  been  scoffed  at  by  some  histor- 
ical writers,  as  a  specious  sort  of  argument,  that  18,000  peo- 
ple should  be  over-awed  by  a  few  hundred  Indians ;  assert- 
ing that  this  feai'  was  the  work  of  the  French  leaders,  who 
Avished  to  preserve  the  loyalty  of  the  Acadians  to  the  King 
of  France.  The  condition  of  these  poor  inhabitants  was  in- 
deed truly  deplorable,  whose  fears  and  interests  were  con- 
tinually worked  upon  by  both  the  Frenca  and  English 
powers.     The  following  will  go  to  show  whether  the  feai's 


mn 


II; 


i' 


1     ■  : 

Mi 


5) 

;1^ 


H-  i 


124 


ACADIA 


of  the  inhabitants,  as  to  the  acts  of  the  Indians  were  they  to 
take  the  oath,  were  groundless  or  not.  It  is  a  copy  of  an 
order  to  the  inhabitants  of  Minas  and  vicinity  (Grand  Pre 
of  Longfellow)  by  M.  Du  Yivier,  Captain  under  Du  Quesnalf 
commandant  at  Louisbourg ; — 

"  The  inhabitants  of  Minas  are  ordered  to  acknowledge 
the  obedience  they  owe  to  the  King  of  France,  and  in  con- 
Bequonce  are  called  upon  for  the  following  suj^plies :  the 
paiisli  of  Grand  Pre,  eight  horses  and  two  men  to  drive  them, 
that  of  the  liiver  Canard,  eight  horses  and  two  men  to  drive 
tlieiu  :  that  of  Piziquid,  twelve  horses  and  three  men  to 
drive  them  ;  as  also  the  jjowder  horns  possessed  by  the  said 
inhabitants,  one  only  being  I'eserved  for  .each  house.  The 
whole  of  the  above  must  be  brought  to  me  at  10  o'clock  on 
ijaturday  nioniing,  at  the  French  Aug  which  I  have  had 
hoisted,  and  under  which  the  deputies  from  the  said  paiishes 
sijnil  be  assembled  to  i^ledge  fidelity  for  thembelves  and  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  neighborhood  who  shall  not  be  called 
HAiiy  from  the  labors  of  the  harvest.  All  those  for  whom 
Ihu  pledge  of  fidelity  simll  be  given  will  be  held  fully  res- 
ponbible  for  said  pledge,  and  those  who  would  contravene 
tiie  present  order  shall  be  punished  as  rebellious  subjects, 
and  delivered  into  the  hands  of  savages  as  enemies  oi  the 
dtate,  as  we  cannot  refuse  the  demand  which  the  savages 
make  for  all  those  who  will  not  submit  themscives.  vVe 
enjoin  also  upon  the  inhabitants  who  have  acknowledged 
their  submission  to  the  King  of  France  to  acquaint  ua 
promptly  with  the  names  of  all  who  wish  to  screen  tiiem- 
teives  trom  the  said  obedience,  in  order  that  faithful  sub- 
jects shall  not  suffer  from  any  incursions  which  the  savages 
may  make." 

The  following  is  the  reply  of  the  deputies  to  the  order: 


2'o  M.  De  Ganne  : — 

We,  the  undersigned  humbly  representing  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Minas,  iiiver  Canard,  Piziquid,  and  the  surrounding 
rivers,  beg  that  you  will  be  picasea  to  consiuer,  that  wnuai 
there  would  be  no  di&cuity,  by  vatue  oi  tiie  stroiig  forcQ 


TR0TTBLE8  OP  TBB  FREHOI 


125 


which  you  commanci,  in  supplying  yourself  with  the  quau- 
tiiy  of  grain  and  meat  you  and  Du  Vivier  have  ordered,  it 
would  be  quite  impossible  for  us  to  furnish  the  quantity 
you  demand,  or  even  a  smaller,  since  the  harvest  has  not 
been  so  good  as  we  hoped  it  would  be,  without  placing 
ournelves  in  great  peril.  We  hope  gentlemen  that  you  will 
not  plunge  us  aud  our  families  into  a  state  of  total  loss ; 
and  that  this  consideration  will  cause  you  to  withdraw  your 
savages  and  troops  from  our  districts.  We  live  under  a 
mild  and  tranquil  government,  and  we  have  all  good  reason 
to  be  faithful  to  it 

Youi'  very  obedient  servants, 

Jacques  Le  Blano,  and  others. 

Minas,  October  10th,  1744. 

I  am  willing,  gentlemen,  out  of  regard  for  you  to  com- 
ply with  your  demand. 

De  Ganne. 
0<  tober,  13th,  1744. 

By  a  letter  of  the  same  date.  Governor  Mascarene  writes 
to  the  deputies,  highly  commendatory  of  the  action  of  the 
peop'e  of  Minas  and  vicinity,  for  remaining  "true  to  the 
allegiance  which  they  owe  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain, 
their  legitimate  Sovereign,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  which 
have  been  made  to  cause  them  to  disregard  it."  The  peo- 
ple of  Chignecto  appear  to  have  behaved  with  less  loyalty, 
and  received  the  following  menacing  notice: 

Deputies  of  Chignecto : — 
I  send  yott  these  lines  to  inform  you  that  I  am  in  a  po- 
sition to  execute  what  I  have  so  often  said  would  happen  to 
you  if  you  failed  in  the  allegiance  you  owed  to  his  Britannic 
Majesty.  If  you  wish  therefore  to  avoid  the  danger  which 
threatens  you,  do  as  the  other  departments  have  done — send 
your  deputies,  give  an  account  of  your  conduct,  and  show 
the  submission  to  which  your  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  gov- 


li 


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•ill 


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ACADiyi 


ornment  of  the  Kinjj  of  Great  Britain  binds  vou.     In  tl)»4 
case  you  shall  still  have  in  me  a  friend  ar.il  servant. 

P.  Maboarknb. 

The  above  instrument  will  be  better  underBtood  after  a 
few  explanatory  words.  In  March,  1744,  France  iniulo  a 
declaration  of  wair  against  England.  News  of  this  event 
did  not  reach  Boston  until  June ;  but  intelligence  was  con- 
veyed to  Cape  Breton  much  earlier,  by  a  fast  bailing  vessel 
dispatched  for  that  puiposo.  M.  Du  Quesnal,  the  Govern- 
or of  the  Island,  had  received  instructions  not  to  attempt 
the  capture  of  any  post  in  Nova  Scotia  until  further  oiderrs, 
under  the  apprehension  that  such  expeditions  might  alarm 
the  neighboring  English  colonies,  and  cause  them  to  retali- 
ate on  Louisbourg,  then  unfinished  and  unsufficiently  garri- 
soned. 

Du  Quesnal  was  well  aware  that  the  English  posts  of  Can- 
so  and  Annapoiis  were  in  a  ruinous  condition  and  poorly 
garrisoned,  and  was  firm  in  the  belief  that  there  were  four 
thousand  French  Acadians  ready  to  throw  off  the  English 
yoke ;  he  made  up  his  mind  to  strike  a  sudden  blow  upon 
the  unsuspecting  English  before  they  would  have  time  to 
prepare  for  defense,  and  then  trust  to  the  effect  of  a  bril- 
liant victory  of  French  arms  to  allay  the  censures  of  his  gov- 
ernment for  his  disobedience.  He  found  an  active  and  zeal- 
ous partisan  in  the  person  of  Du  Yivier,  a  great-grandson 
of  Charles  La  Tour,  to  whom  he  gave  command  of  the  ex- 
pedition. The  armament  consisted  of  two  sloops  and  sev- 
eral smaller  vessels,  with  eight  guns  and  other  small  arms, 
with  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  lien.  At  Canso  they 
were  joined  by  two  hundred  Indians,  which  place  was  im- 
mediately invested.  Captain  Hovon  the  English  command- 
ant, having  only  one  company  of  men  in  garrison,  and  de- 
prived of  the  assistance  of  the  man-of-war  belonging  to  the 
station,  with  no  better  defense  than  a  log  block -house  built 


TRirnr:  P.T  of  tttk  KTiF\rn 


127 


lonp  before  by  the  fishermen,  was  forced  to  capituiute.  TLe 
guniaou  of  eighty  brave  men  therefore  surreiulei'ed,  the  con- 
ditions beiri'i;  that  they  shouhl  be  taken  to  Loiiiabourg, 
an<l  at  the  expirntion  of  a  year  sent  either  to  Boston  or  to 
England.  Du  Vivier  burned  down  the  block-house,  and  re- 
turned with  his  pUinder  and  prisoners  to  Louisbourg-. 

Had  Du  Viviur  marched  immediately  upon  Annapolis,  that 
phire  must  inevitably  have  fallen.  The  ramparts  had  been 
sutfered  to  fall  into  the  foss^;^,  and  cattle  passed  and  repass- 
ed them  at  pleasure.  The  j^arrison,  which  had  boen  reduc- 
ed at  the  })eai'e,  and  subaefiueiitly  weakened  by  a  detach- 
ment sent  to  Canso,  did  not  exceed  eighty  men  capable  of 
doing  duty.  Not  yet  aware  of  what  had  taken  place  in 
Europe,  the  English  wore  not  a  little  astonished  to  see,  oaily 
in  June,  a  hostile  force  of  St  John  and  Cape  Sable  Indians, 
to  the  number  of  three  hundred,  assembled  before  the  walls 
of  the  fort,  demanding  a  surremler  of  the  place.  They  were 
under  control  of  La  Lontre,  a  French  priest,  who  ))as  the 
uame  of  being  the  most  determined  enemy  to  British  power 
that  ever  came  to  Acadia.  With  him  was  young  Beliisle, 
a  son  of  Anustatia  St.  Castin. 

La  Loutre  inlovmed  the  Governor  that  a  reinforcement  of 
regular  troops  was  daily  expected  from  Louisbourg,  but 
that  after  blood  was  spilled  it  would  be  difficult  to  restrain 
the  fury  of  the  Indians.  He  advised  an  immediate  surren- 
der, in  which  case  humane  treatment  and  protection  were 
promised;  otherwise  the  garrison  must  expect  an  immediate 
storm  of  the  paice  on  arrival  of  the  soldiers,  and  probable 
massacre  at  the  hands  of  the  savages,  if  defeated.  The  re- 
ply was  "it  would  be  soon  enough  to  surrender  when  the 
armaments  of  which  he  spoke  had  arrived." 

La  Loutre's  Indians,  growing  weary  of  waiting  for  the 
promised  assistance  from  Louisboui'g,  withdrew  to  Mmas, 
having  burned  some  English  houses  in  ths  neighborhood 
and  tttolou  stiuxo  cattle. 


I 


128 


AOADIA 


Hardly  had  Tja  Loutre  quitted  Annapolis  before  the  ex- 
pectant nava!  division  appeared  in  the  Basin  from  Canso, 
uivler  Du  Vivier.  He  landed  his  men  on  the  2nd  of  June ; 
the  Indians  of  the  vicinity  flocking  to  his  standard,  he  at 
once  invested  the  fort.  For  four  weeks  he  kept  the  place 
in  a  continual  alarm,  but  did  not  venture  a  regular  attack. 
In  the  meantime  Mascarene  had  dispatched  a  vessel  to  Mas- 
sachusetts for  help  ;  on  the  3d  of  July,  four  companies  of 
New  England  troops  arrived  i  a  number  of  artisans  at  work 
on  the  fort  having  volunteered  for  military  duty,  and  l.av- 
ing  forty  cannon  mounted,  the  Governor  believed  himself 
capable  of  successful  resistance.  Du  Vivier  now  prepared 
to  assault  the  place,  and  offered  a  reward  of  four  hundred 
livies  to  every  Indian  who  should  mount  the  rampai't ;  but 
not  prevailing  upon  them  to  make  the  attempt,  and  hearing 
that  Mascarene  contemplated  a  night  sortie,  he  broke  up  his 
camp  and  returned  to  Miuas.  Du  Yivier  was  severely  cea- 
sured  for  precipitately  alarming  the  English  before  Ctmrtda 
was  in  a  position  to  support  the  consequences  of  a  war,  and 
also  for  not  marching  on  Annapolis  immediately  on  the  re- 
duction of  Canso.  The  people  of  that  place  could  ill  sup- 
poi  t  such  a  body  of  troops,  which  gave  rise  to  the  corres> 
poudence  already  referred  to.  Du  Yivier  had  not  been  gone 
many  days  when  a  large  French  frigate,  an  armed  briguu- 
tine.  and  a  sloop,  appeared  before  Annapolis.  This  was  a 
part  of  the  naval  force  intended  to  operate  in  the  reduction 
of  the  fort.  Throughout  this  whole  affair  the  French  ap- 
pear to  have  been  exceedingly  unfortunate  :  for  had  any  two 
of  the  three  bodies  acted  in  concert,  Annapolis  must  have 
fallen.  Mascarene  acknowledged  tliat  much  of  his  success 
was  due  to  the  conduct  of  the  French  Acadiaus,  who  with  a 
few  exceptions  gave  no  willing  aid  to  the  enemy. 


CAPTURE  OF  LOUISBOURG. 


The  capture  of  Louisbourg  was  planned,  and  the  details 
carried  forward,  by  the  merest  novices  in  war,  under  cir- 
cumstances unfavorable  in  the  extreme;  and  the  attempt, 
all  things  considered,  would  have  been  pronounced  foolhar- 
dy and  reckless  by  the  best  military  minds.  The  complete 
success  of  the  enterprise,  where  there  were  so  many  contin- 
gencies either  of  which  would  have  proved  fatal  to  the  pro- 
ject, effected  at  so  small  a  loss  and  in  so  brief  a  periou,  has 
caused  the  taking  of  Louisbourg,  the  "  Dunkir^c  of  America," 
to  be  rated  as  among  the  most  remarkable  military  triumphs 
on  record. 

At  this  periof""  the  New  England  colonists  were  suffering 
severely  from  privateers  sailing  under  French  colors.  These 
vessels  were  sent  out  from  the  port  of  Louisbourg ;  to 
which  place  they  likewise  retreated  when  pursued,  or  to  dis- 
pose of  their  booty.  It  was,  therefore,  a  mattor  of  dire 
exigency  on  the  part  of  the  colonists  that  this  naval  station 
should  be  broken  up, — a  measure  that  would  result  in  driv- 
ing French  privateers  from  American  wafers.  The  cai^tive 
garrison  of  Canso,  which  had  been  sent  home  from  Louis- 
bourg, conveyed  information  lo  the  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts that  induced  him  to  determine  on  an  attempt  ugamst 
that  place. 

This  hated  French  fortress  was  situated  on  a  buy  on  the 
southern  coast  of  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton.    Its  gloomy 


<  I 


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11 


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130 


AOADIA 


I 


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walls  gave  shelter  to  the  Jesuit;  the  crafty  aboriginal,  with 
his  belt  of  scalps,  fresh  from  his  Ent;lish  victims,  found  a 
secure  asylum  there ;  and  the  gay  soldier  of  France  could 
here  plot  and  scheme  and  draw  supplies  with  which  to  carry 
on  the  war.  Over  the  parapet  was  opened  to  the  breezes 
the  flaunting  tri-color  of  Fiance,  waving  a  defiance  against 
her  competitor  for  the  possession  of  the  New  World. 

Over  thirtj'  millions  of  livres  had  been  drawn  from  the 
French  royal  treasury,  and  expended  on  the  fortifications  of 
Louisbourg;  and  numerous  cargoes  of  building  ston'^  were 
sent  hither  from  France.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  bad 
the  government  devoted  its  energy  to  the  completion  of  the 
fortress  ;  and  no  v  its  sombre  walls,  "  whose  towers  rose 
like  giants  above  the  northern  seas,"  menaced  the  authority 
of  tlie  military  rival  of  France.  The  town  was  more  than  two 
miles  in  circuit,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  rampart  of  stone 
from  thirty  to  thirty-six  feet  high,  and  a  ditch  in  front  eighty 
feet  wide.  There  were  six  bastions  and  eight  batteries,  con- 
taining embrasures  for  one  hundred  cannon,  and  eight  mor- 
tars. Two  additional  batteries — one  at  the  entrance  of  the 
harbor  and  the  other  on  a  high  cliff  opposite — contributed 
to  the  strength  of  the  place.  The  citadel  was  in  the  gorge 
of  the  King's  Bastion.  In  the  centre  of  the  town  were  the 
stately  stone  church,  the  nunnery,  and  the  hospital  of  St. 
Jean  de  Dieu.  The  streets  crossed  each  other  at  right  an- 
gles, and  communicated  with  the  wharves  by  five  gatss  in 
the  wall  next  the  h  irbor.  The  houses  were  constructed, 
partly  of  wood  and  p  irtly  of  stone  or  brick,  and  partook  of 
the  general  substantial  appearance  of  the  place. 

Governor  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  must  be  accredited 
as  the  originator  of  the  gx'and  scheme  of  the  reduction  of 
this  almost  impregnable  fortress.  In  the  autumn  succeed- 
ing the  capture  of  Canso  [1744],  Shirley  had  written  to  the 
British  ministry,  making  known  his  plans  and  soliciting  as- 
sistance: he  conjectured  that  by  surprising  the  place  early 


CAPTURE  or  LOTTISBOrRQ 


131 


in  the  spring  before  their  siiocora  had  arrived  from  France, 
it  would  full  b?fore  a  determined  attacl:.  Without  waiting 
a  reply  from  Great  Britain,  Shirley  communicated  his  pro- 
ject to  the  general  court,  under  an  oath  of  secrecy.  The 
scheme  appeared  so  wild  and  visionary  to  most  of  the  mem- 
bers, that  it  was  rejected;  but  a  petition  fortuitously  arriv- 
ing from  the  n:f;rchants  of  Boston,  Salem  and  riTarb'.ehead, 
complaining  of  the  great  i'.ijuries  they  had  received  from  the 
privateers  harboring  at  Louisbourg,  Shii*ley  was  enabled  to 
liave  the  vote  rtconsidered,  which  \.as  finally  earned  by  a 
majority  of  one  voice.  Circulars  were  imraeJiately  adareis- 
cd  lO  the  colonies  as  far  south  as  Pennsylvania,  requesting 
their  assistan(?e,  and  that  an  embargo  be  laid  ou  all  their 
j.orts.  All  excused  themselves  from  taking  a  part  in  so  des- 
]  '  -ite  a  venture,  except  Connecticut,  New  Hampshu'e  and 
iihode  Island.  The  latter  State  missed  its  «hare  in  the 
l^lory  of  the  affair,  hovAe  -ar,  by  the  tardy  arrival  of  the  three 
iumdrcd  soldiers  it  had  undertaken  to  c;>ntrib;ite. 

Four  thousand  and  seventy  troops  were  en.isted,  victual- 
ed and  equipped,  in  two  months'  time,  and  early  in  March 
tills  force  w&s  tibsenibled  in  Boston,  ready  to  embark.  Of 
tliid  nuijibcr  JIassacluisctta  contributed  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  lifty  men,  Connecticut  five  hundred  and  six- 
teen, and  New  Hampshire  three  hundred  and  four.  Tlie 
four  coloiios  furnished  thirteen  armed  vessels  carrying  in 
all  two  hi.:-'Jved  cannon.  New  York  contributed  artil.ery, 
and  Peati  } '  ania  sent  provisions,  in  aid  of  the  project. 
Goveciior  &hi?-ley  applied  to  Commodore  AVarren,  comman- 
der o'  tht;  i^  '1  on  the  West  India  Station,  soliciting  his  aa- 
Eiacance  ah  t  -:  j-operation  :  that  commandar  detained  to  act 
ou  the  giC.iu : .  of  having  uo  orders  from  England,  and  that 
tuo  oipedition  was  whoily  a  Provincial  affair,  undertaken 
without  the  assent,  and  perhaps  without  the  knowledge,  of 
the  iiiniatry.  Tins  was  a  severe  disappointmeut  to  Shirley. 
l)Ul,  concealing  the  iuformatiou  from  the  troops,  on  the  4th 


1 

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Vi 


182 


ACADU 


of  April  the  whole  were  embaiked,  and  the  expedition  bore 
away  for  Canso. 

The  command  of  the  aimament  was  given  to  William  Pep- 
perell,  a  Militia  Colonel,  of  Maine,  a  uian  of  agreeable  man- 
ners and  unblemished  character,  and  very  popular  through- 
out New  England. 

This  reniaikable  enterprise  partook  greatly  of  the  nature 
of  a  religious  crusade.  In  waging  war  against  these  Pa- 
pists, the  Provincials  thought  they  were  doing  God  service. 
Gei  ige  Whitefield,  one  of  the  founders  of  Methodism,  was 
then  in  New  England!,  animating  the  people  with  his  impas- 
sioned eloquence,  a:  ^^  'I'^ri  they  applied  for  a  motto  to  in- 
scribe on  the  banner  o  expedition.  Wlntefuli  selected 
theioUowing:  '■'■Nil  dts/j  >ncluni  Chrlsto  auce,"' — We  des- 
pair of  nothing  Christ  being  our  leader.  A  chaplain  of  one 
of  the  regiments  carried  on  his  shoulders  a  hatchet,  with 
which,  he  proclaimed,  it  was  his  intention  to  destroy  tiie 
images  in  the  Papist  chapels.  Previous  to  sailing,  religious 
services  wei'e  held  in  all  of  the  churches  throughout  New 
England,  invoking  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  on  the  un- 
dertaking, and  committing  to  His  keeping  their  fathers  and 
brothers  who  were  embarked  in  the  hazardous  enterprise. 
The  whole  affair  was  inaugurated  in  a  manner  so  extraordi- 
nary, and  rested  so  much  on  fortune  for  its  success,  that  in 
no  way  can  we  explain  their  action  other  than  that  they  be- 
lieved the  God  of  Battles  would  signally  bless  an  undertak- 
ing, having  His  own  glory  for  its  prime  object.  Not  one  of 
those  composing  the  expedition,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  knew  how  to  conduct  a  siege,  and  few  had  ever  heard 
a  "  cannon  lired  in  anger ;"  yet  they  abounded  in  the  wild- 
est enthusiasm,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  enter  into  pre- 
liminaries for  celebrating  a  triumphal  relurn. 

Providence  smiled  on  them  from  the  start.  They  aiTived 
at  Canso,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  early  in  April.  The  en- 
tire coast  of  Cape  Breton  was  secuiely  blocked  by  a  barrier 


CAPTURE  OF  LOmaBOURO 


133 


of  floating  ice:  it  was  certain  no  intimation  of  the  intended 
attack  had  been  received  at  Louisbouif>'.  A  richly  laden 
vessel  from  Martinique,  thus  early  bound  with  supplies  for 
the  fortress,  fell  an  easy  victim  to  the  Provincials.  A  few 
<lays  later,  four  war  vessels  were  descried  far  out  at  sea. — 
All  was  in  a  tumnit  and  alarm,  and  the  vessels  in  the  har- 
bor were  got  ready  for  action.  As  the  strangers  drew  near, 
the  Viroad  pennant  of  Commodore  AVaneu  was  made  out, 
flviiig  at  the  mast-head  of  the  iSn2)crb,  the  flag-ship  of  the 
squadrou.  Warren,  subsequent  to  his  refusal  to  Shirley, 
had  received  orders  from  England  to  pioceed  directly  to 
North  America,  and  concert  measures  for  his  Majesty's  ser- 
vice. Ltarning  from  a  fisherman  that  the  fleet  had  sailed 
from  Boston,  he  made  all  haste  to  join  it  at  Canso.  A  con- 
ference was  held  with  Pepperell,  and  it  was  arrnnoed  that 
Wnrren  should  cruise  in  front  of  Louiaboui'g,  and  intercept 
all  vessels  going  there.  Here  he  was  joined  in  the  course 
of  a  few  weeks  by  six  more  British  war  ships  which  hap- 
pened on  the  coast,  when  he  found  himself  in  coiumand  of 
a  formidable  fleet  of  four  ships  of  the  line  and  tix  frigates. 
Other  precautionai  measiiies  were  taken,  which  were  so 
effectual  that,  \shen  on  the  30th  of  April,  the  ?^ew  England 
flotilla  arrived  iii  Gabarus  Bay,  they  were  so  entirely  un- 
expected that  great  consternation  prevailed  in  the  fortress 
and  town.  Cannon  were  fired,  bells  were  rung,  and  dismay 
was  exhibited  in  Q\bi:y  movement  in  the  hostile  camp. 

The  French  sent  out  a  detachment  to  obstruct  an  attempt 
of  the  English  to  land,  but  Pepperell  deceived  them  by  a 
clever  ruse,  and  landeii  his  men  higher  up  the  bay,  who . 
drove  the  French  party  into  Louisbourg.  That  day  the 
English  landed  two  thoubaud  men,  and  during  the  follow- 
ing, the  remainder  safely  reached  the  shore.  Under  cover 
of  diukuesB,  Colonel  Vaughan,  of  New  Hampshire,  made  a 
circuit  of  the  works,  to  the  rear  of  the  Royai  Battery  north 
of  the  city ;  setting  hie  to  the  storehouses  behind  it,  illled 


I 


;  I 


I 


134 


ACMtM 


I 

E  ■  J 


with  pitch  and  tar,  the  sulphurous  smoke  so  frightened  the 
garrison,  who  thought  the  whole  English  force  was  upon 
them,  that  they  fled  after  first  spiking  their  guns.  This  bat- 
tery was  immediately  occupied,  and  its  thirty  cannon  turn- 
ed on  the  town  with  terrible  effect,  within  wliich  almost 
every  shot  lodged,  several  falling  into  the  roof  of  the  cita- 
del. The  troops  wei'e  employed  for  fourteen  successive 
nights  in  drawing  cannon  from  the  landing  place  to  the 
camps,  through  a  morass.  The  soldiers  constructed  sledg- 
es, as  the  ground  was  too  soft  to  permit  the  use  of  wheels, 
and,  with  straps  on  their  shoulders,  dragged  the  ponderous 
guns  along,  sinking  to  their  knees  in  the  mud.  This  work 
could  be  done  only  in  the  night  or  in  foggy  weather,  the 
place  being  in  full  view  of  the  town  and  v/ithin  reach  of  its 
guns.  By  the  close  of  tliat  month  thebebiegers  had  complet- 
ed a  line  of  trenches,  erected  five  fascine  batteriea  mounted 
with  sixteen  caimoi:  jind  several  mortars,  which  had  destroy- 
ed the  western  gate  of  the  city  and  made  an  evident  inipres- 
fcion  on  its  circular  battery.  Five  unsuccessful  attacks  were 
made  upon  the  fortifications  on  the  island,  in  which  the  as- 
sailants lost  a  number  of  men  ;  a  safer  plan  of  silencing  it 
was  carried  out  of  erecting  a  battery  on  Light-House  Point, 
which  enfiladed  the  Island  Battery,  rendering  it  untenable. 
In  the  meantime,  the  Vig-  ^nt,  a  French  seventy-four  gun 
ship,  unaware  of  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  had  sailed  into 
the  very  jaws  of  Warren's  fleet.  The  prize  was  laden  with 
a  great  quantity  of  military  stores,  and  five  hundred  and 
eixty  men.  This  capture  proved  very  opportune  to  the  al- 
lied forces,  as  it  not  only  added  to  the  English  naval  pow- 
er, but  furnished  them  with  a  variety  of  supplies  of  which 
they  had  been  very  deficient. 

Commodore  Warren  proposed  conveying  information  of 
this  event  to  the  Governor  of  the  fort,  and  inducing  the  cap- 
tive commander  of  the  Vigilatit  to  certify  it  himself.  Some 
of  the  English  prisoners,  it  was  alleged,  had  been  treated 


CXPTnnE  OF  LOUISBOUBQ 


135 


witTi  severity ;  the  French  Marquis  was  requested  to  visit 
the  various  ships  on  the  station,  and  if  satisfied  with  the 
treatment  of  his  countrymen  in  the  hands  of  the  English, 
to  address  a  letter  to  Governor  Du  Cbambon,  entreating 
similar  usage  for  those  whom  the  fortunes  of  war  had  thrown 
into  his  hands.  To  this  he  readily  consented,  and  the  fol- 
lowing letter  was  sent  by  a  flag  of  truce  into  Louisbourg 
next  day: 

"On  board  the  Vigilant,  a  prisoner,  June  18th,  1745; 

f  TrauslRtion.  ] 

"  Herewith  I  send  you,  Sir,  the  copy  of  a  letter,  written  to 
me  by  Mr,  Warren,  Commander  of  the  squadion,  who  in- 
forms me  that  the  French  have  treated  some  English  pris- 
oners with  cruelty  and  inhumanity.  I  can  scarcely  believe 
it,  since  it  is  the  intention  of  the  Kinij,  our  master,  that  they 
should  be  well  treated  on  every  occasion.  You  are  to  know 
that  on  the  30th  of  May,  I  was  taken  by  the  squadron  as  I 
was  about  to  enter  your  harbor,  and  it  is  fitting  you  should 
be  informed  that  the  Captains  and  officers  treat  us  not  as 
prisoners,  but  as  their  good  friends,  and  take  a  very  partic- 
ular care  that. my  officers  and  equipage  should  want  for 
nothing.  To  me  it  seems  just  you  should  treat  them  in  the 
eame  manner,  and  see  that  they  be  punished  who  act  othei-- 
wise,  and  oiler  any  insult  to  those  whom  you  make  prison- 
ers. Yours,  &c., 

De  La  Maison  Fobtb. 

To  Du  Cbambon, 

Governor  of  Louisbourg. 


As  Warren  surmised,  this  intelligence  had  the  eJBFect  of 
inducing  the  French  to  consider  the  propriety  of  a  surren- 
der. The  French  garrison  were  mutinous,  and  could  not 
be  trusted  outside  the  fort.  The  erection  of  a  battery  on 
Light  House  Cliff,  together  with  the  preparations  which 
were  making  for  a  combined  assault  by  sea  and  land,  brought 
matters  to  a  crisis:  negotiations  were  opened,  and  on  th« 
IGth  of  June,  the  fortress  of  Louisburg  capitulated.     Uponl 


ACADIA 


entering  the  works,  the  stoutest  hearts  were  appalled  v.t 
viewing  its  strength,  and  the  terrible  slaughter  which  must 
have  befallen  the  English  had  they  attempted  to  caiTy  the 
place  by  assault.  The  garrison,  numbering  650  veteitui 
troops,  1310  militia,  the  crew  of  the  Vigilant,  and  the  prin- 
cipal inhabitants  of  the  town,  in  all  upwards  of  four  thou- 
sand persons,  engaged  they  would  not  bear  arms  for  twelve 
muuths  against  Great  Britain  or  her  allies,  and  being  em- 
barked on  boaid  of  fourteen  cartel  ships,  were  transported 
to  Ilochfort. 

A  swit'fc  sailing  ship  carried  the  news  to  Boston  of  the  glo- 
rious tiinmph  the  sons  of  New  England  had  won,  and  well 
niii;ht  tliey  rejoice,  for  histoiy  records  no  parallel.  That  a 
baifd  of  untrained  artisans  and  husbandmen,  working  after 
a  puin  of  operations  drawn  up  by  a  lawyer,  and  commanded 
by  a  meichant,  sbuukl  capture  a  fortress  it  had  taken  thir- 
ty years  to  buiid,  and  defended  by  veteran  troops,  was  so 
wondoiftd  as  to  astonish  all  Europe.  Boston  and  London, 
and  ail  the  chief  cities  of  England  and  America  were  illumi- 
nated. Tlie  batteries  of  the  London  Tower  fired  salutes, 
and  Kh)g  George  II  made  Pepperell  a  baronet,  and  War- 
.  ren  a  rcai-admiral.  Pepperell  attributed  his  success,  not  to 
His  artillery  or  Warren's  line-of-battle  ships,  but  to  the 
prayers  of  New  England,  daily  arising  from  every  village 
in  b(!half  of  the  absent  arjny. 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  train  of  fortuitous  circumstances 
should  have  succeeded  one  another,  any  one  of  which,  had 
it  been  otherwise,  would  have  brought  disaster  on  the  ex- 
pedition. Tlie  garrison  of  the  place  had  been  so  mutinous 
that  the  Governor  could  not  trust  them  to  make  a  soitie, 
otherwise  he  might  have  rei)eatedly  surprised  and  broken 
up  the  English  camp.  The  French  were  in  want  both  of 
pi-ovisions  and  stores,  and  those  sent  to  them  had  been  cap- 
tured at  the  mouth  of  the  hai'bor  by  the  hostile  fleet.  The 
French  could  form  no  idea  of  the  number  of  their  assail- 


'm  f 


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■■  V 


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CAPTUBE  07  LOmSBOTTWl 


137 


ants,  and  the  English  prisoners,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  un- 
derstanding, represented  the  number  infinitely  greater  than 
it  was.  During  the  forty-nine  days  that  the  siege  lasted, 
the  weather  was  remarkably  fine ;  but  the  day  succeeding 
the  surrender  it  became  foul,  the  rain  falling  incessantly  for 
ten  days,  during  which  time  fifteen  hundred  of  the  Provin- 
cials were  attacked  with  dysentery.  Had  the  soldiers  been 
stationed  in  the  trenches,  and  exposed  to  the  rains,  the  mor- 
tality would  have  been  fearful.  At  the  time  the  transports 
sailed  from  Boston  there  was  no  prospect  of  aid  from  the 
navy ;  but  ciicuiiistances  providential'y  brought  together 
every  British  ship  of  war  then  on  the  American  Continent 
and  Islands,  to  which,  if  we  add  the  captured  French  ves- 
sels, a  formidable  fleet  was  the  result.  But  these  circum- 
stanoes  must  not  be  construed  as  lessening  the  merit  of  the 
man  who  planned,  or  of  the  soldiery  whose  valor  was  re- 
warded by  so  signal  a  victory. 

The  capture  of  Louisbourg.  while  it  added  lustre  to  the 
military  lame  of  England,  at  the  same  time  aroused  all  the 
warlike  potencies  of  the  French.  Indeed,  so  greot  were  the 
preparations  immediately  entei'ed  into  by  Froiire  to  regain 
possession  of  her  American  stronghold,  and  to  stiike  a  b.ow 
at  her  English  rival  by  the  destruction  of  her  New  Eng  and 
colonies,  that  it  seemed  the  sovereignty  of  Great  Britain 
in  tho  New  World  would  be  annihiluled. 

Early  the  following  season  [17-iG],  the  Duke  D'Anville  was 
sent  out  with  an  arniajnent  consisting  of  forty  ships  of  war, 
fifty-nine  transports,  and  thirty-five  hundred  men,  together 
with  forty  thousand  muskets  for  the  use  of  the  French  and 
Indians  in  Canada.  D'Anville  was  ordered  to  retake  and  dis- 
mantle Louisbourg;  thence  to  proceed  against  Annapolis, 
which  he  was  to  recapture  and  garrison;  he  was  nexc  di- 
rected to  destroy  Boston,  ravage  the  whole  American  coast, 
and  pay  a  visit  to  the  West  Indies.  Thus  it  wiil  be  seen 
that  the  Biitish  Colonies  in  Ameiica,  by  their  zealous  par- 


I 


188 


AOADIA 


I 


i'l 
!  i 


[:;[ 


I 

i 

f 
i 
I 

i 
1 


ticipation  in  the  movement  that  led  to  the  fall  of  Louis- 
bouHg.  had  diverted  the  vengeance  of  France  upon  their 
own  beads;  and  they  were  likely  to  be  put  to  the  necessity 
of  coping  alone  with  this  formidable  French  armada,  Eng- 
land having  given  notice  of  her  inability  or  indisposition  to 
furnish  either  men  or  vessels  to  assist  her  colonies  at  this 
critical  juncture.  Though  alarmed  at  the  prospect,  the 
New  Eng'.anders  were  not  dismayed;  and  the  most  vigoa-- 
OU6  measures  were  adopted  by  way  of  averting  the  portent- 
ous calamity. 

A  dire  fatality  seemed  to  hang  over  the  fortunes  of  the 
Duke  D'Anville  from  the  time  he  cleared  the  coast  of  Fwmce. 
His  passage  acroM  the  Atlantic,  though  at  the  mildest  sea- 
son of  the  year,  was  protracted  and  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
VViien  within  less  than  a  thousand  miles  of  Nova  Scotia,  he 
ordei  ed  one  of  his  ships  that  had  been  disabled  to  be  burned. 
On  the  1st  of  September  he  experienced  a  terrible  gale  off 
Sable  Island,  where  he  lost  a  trausjjort  and  fire-ship.  Here 
the  .irde7it  and  the  Mars,  both  of  sixty-four  guns,  being 
much  injured,  put  back  for  Brest,  and  were  captured  on  the 
coast  of  France,  and  the  A  Icicle,  having  sustained  serious 
damages,  bore  away  for  the  West  Indies.  After  a  passage 
of  more  than  ninety  days  he  reached  Chebucto  (Halifax) 
Harbor  with  the  lienomme  and  three  transports.  Four 
ships  of  war  that  he  had  previously  sent  as  canvoy  to  His- 
paniola,  with  "^rders  to  immediately  return  to  Nova  Scotia, 
were  absent.  He  was  so  disturbed  at  the  disappointment 
the  failure  of  this  expedition  would  occasion  in  France, 
that  his  health  was  greatly  affected ;  he  died  suddenly  the 
fourth  day  after  his  arrival,  some  say  of  apoplexy — the  Eng- 
lish claim  of  poison.  The  same  day  Vice- Admiral  D'Estour- 
nelle  arrived  in  the  harbor  with  four  additional  ships  of  the 
line.  Other  ships  and  frigates  having  been  either  destroyed 
or  sent  back,  a  proposition  was  made  before  a  council  of 
war  to  return  to  France.     The  Vice-Admiral's  spirits  were 


CAPTURE  OP  LOiriBBOURa 


139 


oppressed  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  thrown  into  a  fever 
and  attacked  with  delirium,  during  which  he  imagined  him- 
self a  prisoner :  he  ran  himself  through  the  body  witli  his 
sword,  causing  instant  death.  An  attack  on  Annapolis  hav- 
ing been  agrewd  upon,  it  was  found  necessary  to  await  the 
arrival  of  such  of  the  vessels  as  had  outlived  the  storm,  and 
were  daily  coming  into  port;  and  also  to  laud  the  men,  who 
were  suffering  terribly  from  a  scorbutic  fever  resulting'  from 
their  long  confinement  on  shipboard.  Since  the  time  they 
had  left  France,  they  had  lost  1,270  men,  and  the  rest  were 
so  sickly  that  they  were  unable  to  undergo  the  least  fatigue. 
Tliey  were  therefore  landed  on  the  southern  shore  of  Ijed- 
ford  Basin,  and  furnished  with  fresh  provisions  from  the 
Acadian  district. 

The  squadron  from  the  West  Indies,  that  had  been  pre- 
viously detached  from  the  fleet  as  convoy,  \n  ,iich,  it  was  ex- 
pected, would  co-operate  with  them,  had  been  on  the  coast, 
but  D'Anville's  fleet  not  arriving  at  the  appointed  time,  it 
had  put  back  to  France  The  Canadian  troops,  that  had 
come  to  act  in  concert  vith  the  fleet,  having  waited  beyond 
the  specified  time,  had  'jommenced  their  return  march  to 
Quebec.  Still,  the  French  ware  determined  to  invest  An- 
napolis, and  a  detachment  of  regulars  was  sent  to  Minas, 
there  to  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  march  for  Annapolis  as 
soon  as  the  fleet  should  leave  Chobucto.  No  time  was  fixed 
for  their  dej^iarture,  for  the  mortality  among  the  people  con- 
tinued ;  they  Lad  buried  over  a  thousand  men  on  the  shores 
of  Bedford  Basin  since  the  formation  of  the  encampment. 
Their  allies,  the  Micmac  Indians,  took  the  infection,  which 
spread  with  such  alarming  rapidity  that  one  third  of  their 
number,  it  has  been  computed,  fail  victims  to  the  scourge. 

A  vessel  bound  from  Boston  to  Louisbourg,  having  been 
captured  with  the  mails,  a  communication  was  found  from 
Governor  Sliirley,  witli  the  inlurmation  that  Admiral  Les- 
tock,  with  a  fleet  of  eighteen  sail,  had  been  ordered  to  the 


>  t 


V 


140 


ACADIA 


I  .1     '. 


i 


h 


North  American  station,  and  might  be  hourly  expected.  An 
exjjiess  was  dispatched  to  inform  M.  de  Bamsay,  who  had  al- 
ready invested  Auuapolis,  that  the  fleet  would  immediately 
sail  thither.  Three  of  the  veslsels  were  sent  home  with  the 
Indians ;  the  rest  of  the  fleet  numbering  thirty-seven  sail, 
put  to  sea  and  bore  away  for  AnnapoUs. 

They  were  doomed  to  a  combination  of  disasters  that  had 
continued  to  befall  them  ever  since  the  armament  had  le^^ 
France.  When  off  Cape  Sable,  they  encountered  another 
of  those  terrifc  storms,  which  so  weakened  and  dispersed 
the  vessels  that  they  returned  to  Europe.  Tidings  of  the 
fieei's  first  disaster  having  reached  France  by  some  of  the 
returned  vessels,  two  men-of-war  were  immediately  sent  oat 
to  join  the  fleei;,  with  orders  to  take  and  hold  Annapolis  at 
all  hazards  ;  bat  the  fleet  had  sailed  three  days  before  their 
arrival  on  the  coast.  M.  de  Ramsay,  who  hid  encamped 
before  Annapolis,  retired  to  Chebucto,  where  he  placed  his 
men  in  winter  quarters,  in  readiness  to  opeiate  with  anoth- 
er Fj  ench  squadion  which  was  to  be  sent  out  the  following 
spring. 

The  armament  of  the  Duke  D'Anville,  which  had  excited 
such  high  expectations  in  France,  and  which  had  struck 
such  terror  throughout  the  English  colonies,  by  a  train  of 
fortuitous  circumstances  as  marked  as  those  contribiitin? 
to  the  fall  of  Louisbourg,  was  doomed  to  niUr  failuie.  One 
half  of  the  vessels  were  lost  or  disabled,  and  more  than  one 
half  the  troops  died  from  disease,  without  having  had  an 
opportunity  of  measuring  strength  with  the  enemy.  These 
continued  disasters  to  the  French  were  regarded  by  the 
people  of  New  England  as  special  interpositions  of  Provi- 
dence in  theii'  favor.  Public  thanksgivings  were  everywhere 
offered ;  towns  wore  illuminated ;  and  no  one  doubted  the 
right  of  the  English  to  the  whole  of  Acadia. 

Though  the  fleet  had  left  the  coast,  Ramsay  still  remained 
on  the  Peninsula,  which  caused  Mascareue  much  uneasiness 


CAPTUBE  OF  LODISBOURd 


141 


lest  the  French  soldiery,  aided  by  the  Acadians  and  Indians, 
should  attack  Annapolis.  Governor  Masearene  wrote  fre- 
quently to  Massachusetts,  noting  the  extremely  hazardous 
position  of  the  English  in  Acadia,  and  soliciting  help.  Ha 
ei:piessed  it  as  his  opin  on  that  a  i-einforcement  of  one  thou- 
sand ti-oops  would  be  sufficient  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from 
Acadian  soil.  He  also  suggested,  as  a  politic  maneuver, 
by  quartering  the  soldiers  among  the  inhabitants,  they 
would  consume  all  the  provisions,  and  so  leave  the  couiitry 
destitute  of  the  means  of  supporting  an  invading  enemy: 
and  further,  that  their  presence  and  intercourse  among  tlie 
Acadian  French  would  have  a  good  effect  in  confirming 
them  in  their  allegiance.* 

These  representations  had  the  designed  effect:  Massa- 
chusetts sent  five  hundred  men,  Rhode  Island  three  hun- 
dred, and  New  Hampshu'e  two  bundled,  for  this  service. 
The  contingent  from  Rhode  Island  was  shipwrecked  near 
Martha's  Vmeyard;  the  armed  vessels  of  New  Hampshire 
went  as  fai-  as  Annapolis,  but  immediately  returned  to  Ports- 
mouth ;  and  the  troops  from  Massachusetts,  not  behig  able 
to  reach  Minas  by  water  on  account  of  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  were  landed  on  the  4th  day  of  December,  on 
the  shore  of  the  Bey  of  Fundy.  Each  man  was  furnished 
with  fourteen  days'  provisions,  and  the  party  made  a  winter 
journey  to  Minas,  through  the  snow  and  the  interminable 
forests,  and  in  eight  days'  time  they  reached  Grand  Pie  in 
safety,  though  having  suffered  much  from  cold  and  fati^^ue. 

This  detachment  was  quartered  for  the  winter  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Grand  Pre.  Supposing  the  rigor  of  the  season  and 
the  difificulty  of  threading  the  pathless  woods  to  guarantee 


h 


i'^i' 


•  Mascarenc  <loes  not  seem  to  make  provision  for  the  Acndinns  after 
their  fond  supplies  were  consumed  by  the  soldiers  ;  nor  is  it  ensy  to  see 
bow  such  a  plait  was  Ui  opcralo  iu  iueieusiug  the  love  of  tUc  Acadiaua  foi 
tlie  coDijuerois  oC  llicur  country. 


i 


iij 

I:'  I 


J 


142 


ACADIA 


them  iniinunity  from  attack,  the  English  neglected  ta  take 
proper  precautionary  measures,  and  distributed  their  force* 
in  a  careless  manner.  The  French  were  soon  apprised  of 
this,  and  on  the  8th  of  January  a  detachment  from  Chig- 
necto,  under  De  Villiers,*  maiched  against  the  English  at 
Minas.  The  distance  between  the  two  points  by  the  ordi- 
nary route  was  less  than  a  hundred  miles.  But  the  Basin 
was  impassable  for  cauoes  on  account  of  the  floating  ice. 
De  Villiers  was  therefore  obliged  to  make  a  long  detour 
around  its  shores ;  and  when  his  soldiers  came  to  a  river 
they  were  obliged  to  follow  up  its  course  above  the  influence 
of  the  tide  before  a  crossing  could  be  effecteii.  While  the 
French  were  toiling  on  through  the  dark  fir  forests,,  making 
their  way  on  snow  shoes  and  dragging  their  provisions  on 
sieuges,  bivouacking  at  night  on  the  snow  with  no  roof  but 
the  sky,  and  mercury  fai*  below  zero,  the  English  were  in 
their  comfortable  quarters  at  Grand  Pre,  living  in  fancied 
security.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  told  them  the  French 
were  coming,  but  they  gave  no  credit  to  the  report. 

Eighteen  dajs  of  weary  toil  among  the  passes  of  theCobe- 
quid  mountains,  and  along  the  storm-beaten  banks  of  tlie 
Shubenacadia,  brought  the  assailants  to  Gaspereau.  Cross- 
ing the  bridge  over  the  creek,  the  detachment  lialted  and 
paiiook  of  refreshments  j  then  the  force,  numbering  six 
hundred,  was  divided  into  small  parties,  and  the  attack  was 
made  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  A  feavf al  snow 
storm  had  been  raging  for  twenty-four  hours,  until  the  snow 
was  four  feet  in  depth,  and  the  air  was  still  full  of  falling 
flakes,  which  hid  the  advancing  column  from  the  sentinels, 
until  they  had  been  surprised  and  bayoneted.  De  Vidiers 
was  joined  by  some  Acadiansat  Piziquid  (Windsor),  and  was 
informed  by  them  of  the  exact  position  of  the  English.  They 


"  The  English  officer  who  fought  against  George  Washington  at  the 
uupituiauoit  of  i'ort  Nccebsity  iu  lloi. 


1^ 


CAPTURE  OF  LOTTISBOURG 


143 


were  qimrtei*ed  in  twenty- four  houses,  from  which  the 
Piench  people  had  retired  when  rumors  of  the  invasion  be- 
gan to  be  received.  De  Villiers  resolved  to  attack  ten  of 
them  in  which  the  principal  officers  resided,  and  crush  them 
by  an  overpowering  force : — judging  that  the  rest  would  fall 
an  easy  prey  when  the  leaders  were  disposed  of.  The  Eng- 
lish leaped  out  of  their  beds  and  fought  desperately  for  their 
lives  ;  but  their  assailants  outnumbered  them,  and  they  were 
undressed,  and  many  of  them  unarmed.  A.  terrible  s  augh- 
ter  was  the  result.  Colonel  Noble  was  killed  fighting  iu  his 
shirt,  and  with  him  fell  four  officers  and  seventy  soldi  n-s ; 
sixty  more  of  the  English  were  wounded  and  nearly  seventy 
made  prisoners.  A  number  of  the  English  still  renuiiiied, 
who  collected  in  a  body  under  Captain  Morris,  and  made  a 
gallant  stand.  They  were  unprovided  with  snow-shoes,  and 
were  impeded  in  their  movements  by  the  depth  of  the  snow. 
They  made  an  effort  to  cut  their  way  to  their  vessel  and 
provisions,  which  attempt  proved  unsuccessful.  At  noon  a 
suspension  of  arms  was  agreed  upon,  and  a  capituLiMou 
afterward  arranged  in  the  following  terms: — 1st,  they  were 
to  march  off  to  Annapolis,  with  arms  shouldered,  drums 
beating  and  colors  flying,  through  a  lane  of  the  enemy  with 
rested  firelocks. — 2nd,  they  were  to  be  allowed  six  days'  pro- 
visions, with  a  pound  of  powder  and  a  projiortion  of  ball  to 
each  man. — 3d,  they  wei-e  not  to  carry  arms  against  the 
French  in  the  country  bordering  on  the  Basin  of  Minas  and 
Chiguecto  for  six  months.  The  French  loss  in  tins  uneLjual 
strife  was  only  seven  killed  and  fourteen  wounded,  but  De 
Villiers  was  among  the  latter.  Such,  doubtless,  are  the 
variable  fortunes  of  war :  yet  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  un- 
armed, helpless  men,  just  awakened  from  their  slumbers, 
has  none  of  the  heroic  qualities  of  a  fair -fight  in  the  field  of 
battle. 

In  the  meantime  Jonquiere  had  returned  to  France  with 
the  remnant  of  D'Anviile's  fleet.     By  great  exertions  he  had 


! 


i    i 


f ; 


i^  I 


144 


ICADIA 


caused  another  expedition  to  be  fitted  out  to  operate  against 
Nova  Scotia,  comprising  thirty-eight  sail,  laden  with  soldiers 
and  ordnance  stores,  which  was  put  under  his  command. 
The  sailing  of  the  French  fleet  had  been  watched  by  their 
English  rivals  -,  a  formidable  armament  under  the  British 
flag  set  out  in  chase,^  and  forced  an  engagement  off  Cape 
Finisterre,  on  the  3d  of  May,  1747.  After  a  well  contested 
battle  the  French  struck  their  colors ;  seven  of  their  ships 
were  captured,  and  almost  five  thousand  soldiers  taken  pris- 
oners. It  is  estimated  that  France  lost  by  this  catastrophe 
a  million  and  a  half  of  livres.  This  destroyed  all  hopes  thai 
Kamsey  had  entertained  to  reduce  Nova  Scotia.  But  this 
war  was  about  to  draw  to  a  close.  On  the  7th  of  October 
terms  of  peace  were  concluded  between  France  and  England,, 
known  as  the  "Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapeile."  By  its  stipula- 
tions the  people  of  New  England  were  not  a  little  chagrin- 
ed to  see  the  fortress  of  Louisbourg,  that  had  cost  them  so 
much  blood  and  treasure  to  secure,  again  pass  into  the  hands 
of  the  French.  It  mattered  not  though  fully  a  thousand  of 
brave  New  Englanders  lay  molderiug  under  the  patch  of 
dark  green-sward,  in  the  old  burj'ing  ground  on  Point  Roch- 
fort,  who  had  sacrificed  their  lives  to  wrench  it  from  French 
domination.  ''  Though  no  monument  marks  the  spot,  yet 
the  waves  of  the  restless  ocean,  in  calm  or  in  storm,  sing  an 
everlasting  requiem  over  the  graves  of  the  departed  l  -oes.'* 
The  restoration  of  Louisbourg  has  been  pronounced  an  act 
of  extreme  folly,  in  view  of  its  aggressiveness  towards 
Ameiican  commerce,  and  the  fact  that  the  peace  was  not 
likely  to  be  lasting.  Says  Macaulay — "  the  peace  was,  as 
regards  Euro^^e,  nothing  but  a  truce;  it  was  not  even  a 
truce  in  other  quarters  of  the  globe." 


REFUSING  THE  OATa 


N(ar]y  half  a  centiu-y  had  elapsed  since  the  English,  by 
the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  had  come  in  possession  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia ;  yet  they  had  not  succeeded  in  founding  a  single  English 
settlement,  nor  had  they  added  to  the  number  of  English 
speaking  people  in  the  Province.     The  French  Acadian s  on 
the  contrary  had  gone  on  increasing  and  spreading  them- 
selves over  the  land,  until  their  numbers  were  treble  what 
they  were  when  the  country  came  under  the  British  ^dg. 
Like  Pharaoh  of  old,  who,  dismaj'ed  at  the  increase  of  the  Is- 
raelites, was  terribly  perjilexed  how  to  dispose  of  them,  the 
GoA-ernor  of  Acadia  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  the  French 
Neutrals.     The  garrison  at  Annapolis  were  d<!p*'ndent  on 
the  French  for  supplies,  and  would  have  nothing  to  live  up- 
on were  the  latter  driven  from  the  territory ;  and,  further- 
more, would  have  to  garrison  a  country  without  a  popula- 
tion in  it.     Besides,  it  was  stipulated  by  an  English  law  that 
all  unoccupied  lands  in  the  Province  should  be  reserved  to 
English  settlers ;  the  French  had  therefore  divided  and  sub- 
divided their  farms  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number 
of  families,  until  this  was  no  longer  practicable.     The  Gov- 
ernor did  not  like  to  see  the  law  violated  by  French  families 
settling  on  unoccupied  lands ;  he  was  also  anxious  to  exempt 
the  French  from  the  miseries  attendant  upon  overcrowding, 
and  escape  the  embarrassment  of  providing  therefor. 

Another  source  of  annoyance  was  that  the  Acadians,  in* 


U.I 


146 


ACACIA 


secure  in  their  rights  and  possessions,  \vhen  they  received 
any  coin  for  produce  sold  to  the  gai'rison,  would  not  allow 
it  to  come  into  circulation;  keeping  it  by  them,*  as  was 
supposed,  for  use  in  case  they  were  driven  fi'om  their  pos- 
sessions. 

Heretofore  the  government  of  the  Province  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia Imd  been  administered  by  the  commander  of  the  garri- 
son at  Annapolis,  the  province  being  thought  too  poor  to 
support  any  additional  expense  ;  but  in  1749,  Hon.  Edward 
Corn  wallis  was  appointed  to  be  Goveruor-in-chief  of  •  Nova 
Scotia.  He  arrived  at  Chebucto  harbor  during  the  summer, 
where  he  established  the  first  permanent  English  colony,  coui- 
prising  two  thousand  and  five  hundred  persons,  naming  it 
Fiplifax  out  of  compliment  to  the  Lord  then  at  the  head  of 
the  Board  of  Trade.  The  colonists  comprised  a  large  num- 
ber of  disbanded  officers,  soldiers  and  sailors.  Halifax  was 
henceforth  the  seat  of  government  of  the  Province,  while 
Annapolis,  which  had  been  the  center  of  power,  was  to  take 
a  secondary  part  in  the  history  of  the  country. 

We  will  now  endeavor  to  follow,  with  a  frank  and  open 
candor,  the  course  of  events  of  the  next  fifteen  years  that 
culminated  in  the  utter  ruin  of  eighteen  thousand  pastoral 
French  people.  We  will  bring  forward  the  authenticated 
facts  bearing  upon  this  part  of  our  subject,  and  give  both 
sides  a  fair  and  impartial  hearing.  The  prejudices  of  race 
and  rtjligion  are  now  happily  lessened  ;  the  scenes  were  en- 
acted so  long  ago  that  no  fears  need  be  entertained  of  of- 

'^  Numbers  buried  their  coin,  nearly  always,  if  tradition  may  be  be- 
lieved, in  stouo  crocks.  They  then  prepared  charts  in  cypher,  pointing 
out  the  location  of  the  hidden  treasure.  The  French  inhabitants,  at  the 
tiiue  of  their  expatriation,  were  driven  away  so  suddenly,  that  numbers  of 
them  had  no  time  to  secure  it.  There  are  many  stories  current  among 
the  people  in  variou-i  localities,  of  Frenchmen  returning  to  their  former 
habitations,  and  by  means  of  charts,  mineral  rods,  and  forms  of  divina- 
tion known  only  to  the  initiated,  securing  and  carrying  away  quantities  of 
the  hidden  coin. 


BEFUSIKG  THB  OATH 


147 


fending  the  posterity  of  the  chief  actors  in  the  melnncholy 
diama:  and,  furthermore,  believing  that  the  people  of  Eng- 
land, France  and  America,  are  at  this  late  date  willing  to 
assume  their  full  share  of  culpability  in  contributiug  to  the 
sufferings  of  this  unfortunate  people, — we  are  arrived  at  a 
time  when  the  matter  may  be  treated  with  entire  fre  )dom, 
without  the  hazard  of  meeting  with  undue  bigotiy  and  pre- 
judgment. We  may  premise  that  the  succeading  extracts 
aie  compiled,  with  few  exceptions,  from  English  sources, 
and  may  naturally  be  expected  to  have  a  bias  in  favor  of 
the  cause  of  Great  Britain.  When  parties  are  convicted  by 
witnesses  supposed  to  be  in  their  interest,  the  proof  is  always 
deemed  the  more  conclusive.  The  French  people  caimot 
be  heard  in  their  own  behalf,  as  their  papers  were  taken 
from  them  at  the  time  of  their  forced  extirp;ition.  If  they 
had  any  record  of  their  sufferings  and  wrongs,  it  will  ever 
remain  a  sealed  book. 

One  of  the  very  first  acts  of  Governor  Coruwallis  on  es- 
tablishing his  government  at  Halifax,  was  to  issue  a  decla- 
ration to  the  "French  subjects  of  his  Majesty,  King  George, 
inhabiting  Nova  Scotia,"  which  contains  the  foJowing  charge 
against  them,  bearing  date  of  July  14,  1749 : 

"I  do  hereby  declare  in  his  Majesty's  name,  that  his  Maj- 
esty, although  fully  sensible  that  tiie  many  indulgences 
which  he  and  his  royal  predecessors  have  shown  to  the  said 
inhabitants  in  allowing  them  the  entirely  free  exercise  of 
their  religion,  and  the  quiet  and  peaceable  possession  of 
their  lands,  have  not  met  with  a  dutiful  return,  but  on  the 
contrary  divers  of  the  said  inhabitants  have  openly  abetied 
or  privately  assisted  his  Majesty's  enemies  in  their  attempts, 
by  furnishing  them  with  quarters,  provisions  and  intelli- 
gence, and  concealing  theii-  designs  from  his  Majesty's  Gov- 
ernor, insomuch  that  the  enemy  more  than  once  appeared 
under  the  walls  of  Annapolis  lioyal  before  the  garris(n)  had 
any  notice  of  their  being  witlun  tiie  Province:  yet  his  Maj- 
esty, bemg  desirous  of  showing  fuitiier  inures  of  his  royui 


118 


AOADU 


i  I 


f^ 


g;nee  in  hopes  to  induce  the  inhabitants  to  become  for  the 
future  tiui>  and  loyal  subjects,  is  graciously  pleased  to  al- 
low that  the  s-aid  inhabitants  shall  continue  in  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  religion,  as  far  as  the  laws  of  Great  Biitain  do 
,-tllow  the  same,  as  also  the  peaceable  possession  of  such 
as  ai  e  under  their  cultivation :  Provided,  that  the  said  in- 
habit ants  do,  within  three  months  from  the  date  of  this  de- 
clariition,  take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance  appointed  to  be  taken 
by  the  Jaws  of  Great  Britain,  .  .  and  I  do  strictly  charge 
and  forbid  all  persons  whatever,  from  possessing  themselves 
of  any  cultivated  land  witiiin  this  Province  without  a  grant 
for  tne  same  under  the  seal  of  this  Province ;  also  that  no 
pei!?ou  whatcN er  do  export  out  of  this  Province  any  corn  or 
cattle  without  especial  leave  for  that  purpose." 

In  answer  to  the  charge  contained  in  the  above,  that  the 
French  openly  abetted  with  the  enemies  of  King  George, 
we  ujipend  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by 
Governor  Mascarene,  dated  at  Annapolis  Royal,  in  which  he 
says,  referring  to  Du  Vivier's  campaign  : 

"  To  the  breaking  the  French  measures,  the  timely  suc- 
cors received  from  Massachusetts,  and  our  French  Inhab- 
itants rcfiiainy  to  take  up  arms  against  us,  we  owe  our 
preservation.  The  first  had  prepared  a  force  that  in  the 
opinion  of  all,  considering  the  ill  condition  of  the  fort,  we 
should  not  have  been  able  to  resist ;  by  the  second,  our  men 
were  eased  in  constant  duty  the  many  ruinous  places  in  our 
ramparts  required  to  attend ;  and  if  the  inhabitants  had  tak- 
en up  arms  they  might  have  brought  three  or  four  thousand 
men  against  us,  who  would  have  kept  us  on  still  harder  du- 
ty, and  by  keeping  the  enemy  for  a  longer  time  about  us, 
made  it  impossible  to  repair  breaches  or  get  our  firewood." 

The  charge  of  the  English  had  been  that  the  French  ii  - 
habitants  were  ripe  for  revolt,  and  only  needed  the  presence 
of  a  French  force  in  the  country  when  they  would  flock  to 
its  standard.  The  above  declaration  of  Mascarene  would 
seem  to  refute  this  charge,  as  also  the  following  which  ap- 
peals on  the  records,  relative  to  l>u  Vivier's  behavior  towaids 


BEFUSINO  THE  OATH 


149 


the  iiihabitftiits  of  Minas  and  Piziquid,  that  it  was  "very 
harsh  ;"  that  the  French  soldiers  "coining  in  the  night  scut 
m  n  to  every  house  whilst  they  were  buiicd  in  sleep,  and 
thicatened  to  put  any  to  death  that  should  stir  out  or  come 
near  the  £Englisli]  fort;  that  tliey  had  been  ordered  to  fur- 
nish weekly  a  certain  quantity  of  cattle,  to  bring  theii'  caits 
and  teams,  the  orders  being  most  of  them  on  pain  of  dcat'.i." 

At  the  first  Council  held  by  the  new  government  b.t  Hali- 
fax,— which  for  want  of  better  accommodation  was  held  «)n 
board  of  a  vessel  in  the  harbor, — on  July  14th,  three  French 
deputies,  representing  River  Canard,  Grand  Pre  and  Pizi- 
quid, called  to  pay  their  respects.  They  were  furnished 
with  copies  of  the  above  declaration,  and  of  the  oath  tl  at 
was  to  be  given  to  the  inhabitants,  and  were  commanded  to 
return  within  a  fortnight  and  report  the  resolutions  of  tht  ir 
several  departments.  They  were  ordered  to  send  to  the 
other  French  settlements  to  let  them  know  His  Excellency 
desired  to  see  their  deputies  as  soon  as  possible. 

In  obedience  to  the  orders  of  Cornwallis,  ten  deputies  ar- 
rived at  Halifax  on  the  29th,  representing  the  settlemejit  of 
Annapolis,  Grand  Pie,  River  Canard,  Piziquid,  Cobeqnid, 
Chignecto  and  Shepody,  who  delivered  a  written  answer  to 
his  Excellency  the  Governor,  which  contained  a  request  tl'at 
they  might  be  permitted  to  have  priests,  and  enjoy  the  fiee 
and  public  exercise  of  religion;  and  demanded  an  exemption 
from  bearing  arms  in  time  of  war.  The  Council  were  of 
ophiion  that  they  might  be  allowed  the  free  exorcise  of  tln-ir 
religion,  provuhd  that  no  priest  shall  presume  to  officiate 
without  first  obtaining  a  lice  ie,  and  taking  the  Oath  of  Al- 
legiance to  his  Majesty.  With  regard  to  exemption  fn^m 
bearing  arms  it  was  the  unanimous  opinion  no  exempti  )n 
should  be  granted  them,  but  they  must  be  told  peremp- 
torily that  they  must  take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance  as  offered 
them,  for  that  his  Majcfity  would  allow  noi.e  to  posscos 
lands  in  his  territories  whose  allegiance  could  not  be  count- 


If- 


1 


> 


I  I 


IZO 


ACADIA 


ed  on  in  cc"  of  need.  It  v,as  decided  to  s«nd  pe'son*  to 
the  French  dish'icts  to  admi  liuter  the  oat  i  to  the  in  habit- 
ants, and  such  as  would  continue  in  the  possession  of  their 
lands  must  take  the  oath  before  the  2Gth  of  October,  which 
would  be  the  last  day  allowed  them. 

The  next  day  the  deputies  were  called  before  the  Council, 
and  a  declaration  embodying^  the  above  decisions  read  to 
them,  and  a  copy  given  to  each  for  their  several  districts. 
The  deputies  asked  provided  they  had  a  mind  to  evacuate 
thoir  lands,  if  they  could  have  leave  to  sell  their  lands  and 
eflf(.(!ts,  and  wore  told  they  could  not  be  allowed  to  sell  or 
cany  off  anything.  The  deputies  then  asked  leave  to  return 
and  consult  with  the  inhabitatxts,  upon  which  they  were 
wfttneJ  that  all  who  should  not  beiore  the  2(>i;h  of  0;Hober 
have  taken  the  Oath  of  Allegiance,  would  forfeit  all  their  pos- 
sessions and  rights  in  this  Pi'ovince.  They  then  asked  leave 
to  go  to  the  French  Governors  and  see  what  conditions 
might  be  offered  them,  and  were  told  that  "  whoever  should 
leave  th?  Province  without  first  taking  the  Oabh  of  Alle^^iance, 
should  immydiately  forfeit  all  their  rights."  The  priests  of 
the  several  settlements  were  at  the  same  time  ordered  to 
repair  to  Halifax  as  soon  as  possible. 

Ou  the  6th  of  September,  deputies  from  the  French  dis- 
tricts appealed  before  the  Governor  at  Halifax,  with  a  letter 
containing  their  answer,  signed  by  one  thousand  persons. 
After  acknowledging  with  thanks  the  many  kindnesses  and 
privileges  they  had  received  from  the  government,  tlii^i  letter 
goes  on  to  say ;  "  We  believe  if  his  Majesty  had  been  inform- 
ed of  our  coTiduct  towards  his  government,  he  would  not 
propose  to  us  an  oath,  which,  if  taken,  would  at  any  moirent 
expose  our  lives  to  great  peril  from  the  savage  nations,  who 
have  reproached  us  in  a  strange  maimer,  as  to  the  op.th  we 
have  taken  to  his  Majesty.  This  one  binding  us  still  more 
fctrictly,  we  should  assuredly  become  the  victims  of  their 
barbaious  cruelty.     The  inhabitants,  over  the  whole  extent 


BBFCSINO  THE  OATH 


151 


of  country,  liave  rppolved  not  to  tnke  the  oath  reqntrod  of 
us  ;  but  if  jour  Excellency  will  giant  us  our  old  oath  which 
wa8  given  us  at  Minas,  by  Mr,  Riclnid  Phillip?!,  with  an  ex- 
emption for  ourselves  and  for  our  licirsfrono  taking  up  arms, 
we  will  accept  it.  But  if  your  Excellency  is  not  dis^Myedto 
grant  us  wliat  we  take  the  liberty  of  asking,  we  are  resr>lvc;d, 
every  one  of  us,  to  leave  the  country.  We  ta1»e  the  liberty 
to  beg  your  Excellency  to  tell  us  whether  or  not  his  Majesty 

has  annulled  the  oath  given  us  by  Phillips We  hope 

your  Excellency  will  allow  yourself  to  be  njoved  by  our 
mitierieK,  and  wp,  on  our  part,  will  exert  ourselves  to  the 
utmost  in  praying  to  God  for  the  preservation  of  your  per- 
son." 
His  Excellency  made  the  following  answer: 

*'  We  have  cause  to  be  much  astonished  at  your  conduct. 

This  is  the  third  time  you  have  come  here,  an.l  you  do  noth- 
ing but  repeat  the  same  story.  To-day  you  present  us  a 
letter  signed  by  a  thousand  persons,  in  which  you  dec. are 
openly  tliat  you  svill  be  the  subject  of  his  Britannic  Majosty 
on  such  and  such  conditions.  It  appears  to  me  you  think 
yourselves  independent  to  any  government,  and  you  wish  to 
treat  with  the  King  as  if  yoa  were  so. 

'*But  you  ouglit  to  know,  that  from  the  end  of  the  j'ear 
stipulated  iu  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  for  the  evacuation  of  the 
country,  those  who  chose  to  remain  in  the  Province  becaine 
at  once  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain.  The  treaty  deciaies 
them  such  ;  tlie  King  of  France  declares,  in  the  treaty,  that 
all  the  French  wiio  shall  remain  iu  this  Province,  shan  be 
the  subjects  of  his  [British]  Alajesty. 

"  It  would  be  contrary  to  comniou  sense,  also,  to  suppose 
tl^at  one  can  remain  iu  a  province,  and  possess  houses  ciad 
lands  there,  without  being  subject  to  the  sovereign  of  tiiat 
province.  Tou  deceive  yourselves  if  you  thiiil:  you  aro  at 
Lberty  to  choose  whetlier  you  will  be  tbo  subjects  of  the 
King  or  no.  From  the  year  1714,  that  no  longer  depen.led 
upon  you.     Fioin  that  moment  you  became  subject  to  the 

laws  of  Great  Britain You  ou^ht  to  have  taiceu  the  O  i;h 

of  Allegiance  to  your  King  the  niomeut  }ou  were  requiied 
to  do  so.     Yuu  tell  me  tiiat  General  Phiiiips  granted  you 


t! 


152 


ACAOU 


the  reservatioDsyoutlemancl :  and  I  tell  you  tliat  theppneraJ 
who  granted  you  Buch  reservations  did  not  do  bib  duty,, 
and  alHO  that  this  oath  has  never  in  the  slightest  de;;iee 
leMtiened  your  obligations  to  act  always  as  a  subject  ought 
to  act. 

"  You  allow  yourself  to  be  led  a»tray  by  people  who  find 
to  their  intertst  to  lead  you  astiay.  They  have  made  you 
imagine  it  is  only  your  oath  which  binds  you  to  the  English. 
They  deceive  you.  It  is  not  the  oath  which  a  King  admin- 
isters to  his  subjects  tiiat  makes  them  subjects.  The  oath, 
supposes  they  ure  so  already.  The  oath  is  nothing  but  a. 
veij  sacred  bond  of  fidelity  of  those  who  take  it.  It  is  only 
out  of  pity  to  ^  our  situation,  and  to  your  iiiexperieuce  in 
thf  affairs  of  government,  that  we  condescend  to  reason 
with  you ;  othe/wise  tlie  question  would  not  be  reasoning, 
but  commanding  and  being  obeyed " 


Ml 


Governor  Cornwallia  wrote  to  the  JBoai'd  of  Trade:  "The 
French  deputie»  have  been  here  this  week ;  they  caine  as  they 
(ioid  with  tneir  iinal  answer.  Your  Lordships  will  see  from 
the  enclosed  cO]jy  of  their  letter,  that  they  are  resolved  to 
retire  rather  than  take  the  oath.  As  I  aiu  sure  they  vvUi  not 
leave  their  habitations  this  season,  when  the  letter  was  read 
to  the  council  iu  their  presence,  I  made  them  answer  with- 
out changing  any  of  my  former  deciax'ation,  or  saying  on© 
word  about  it.  My  view  is  to  make  them  useful  as  pos.sibie 
to  his  Majesty  while  they  do  stay.  If,  afterwards,  they  are 
still  obstinate,  I  shall  receive  in  the  spring  his  Majesty's  fur- 
ther instructions  from  your  Lordships." 

In  the  foregoing  papers  we  have  a  plain  statement  of  the 
questions  ut  issue,  and  the  position  of  the  two  parties,  nei- 
ther being  disposed  to  yield  ground  to  the  other.  The  neu- 
trals were  firm  in  their  determination  not  to  take  the  pre- 
scribed oath  without  immunity  from  bearing  arms,  alleging, 
as  an  excuse,  their  fear  of  the  savages ;  though  doub 
another  reason  was,  that,  in  the  unsettled  stale  of  the  t  i- 
try,  they  did  not  know  how  soon  they  might  be  called  upuu 


REFT79INO   THE  OATH 


153 


to  talce  arms  against  their  own  countrymen.  The  EnpHsh 
Government,  on  tl»e  other  hand,  was  as  determined  that  they 
should  takd  an  unquaHficd  oath,  and  gradually  drew  the  re- 
stniints  of  power  more  closely,  until  the  expulsion  of  the 
French  from  the  tenitory. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring,  other  troubles  were 
engendering,  nil  of  which  bodt^d  no  good  to  the  hopeless 
Aciidiaus.  The  terms  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  were  not  suf- 
ficiently explicit,  and  war  was  likely  to  break  out  at  any 
moment  between  the  two  powers  over  a  professed  misunder- 
stamliiig.  The  French  affected  to  believe  the  term  "  Aca- 
dia" included  only  the  peninsula,  while  the  British  side 
were  for  including  territory  to  the  north  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 
This  made  the  government  at  Halifax  all  the  more  anxious 
to  get  the  numerous  Acadian  French  bouiid  in  some  way  to 
the  British  cause,  and  it  was  an  equally  potent  reason  for 
the  Acadiaus  not  to  commit  themselves.  The  Governor  of 
Canada  had  sent  detachments  of  soldiers  to  take  possession 
of  the  St.  John  River,  and  also  to  dispute  the  title  of  the 
English  at  Chignecto,  and  prevent  their  settling  there. 

In  September,  Captain  Hantield  Avas  detached  from  Anna- 
polis with  orders  to  occupy  Minas,  and  to  establish  himself 
he  built  a  block-house  at  Grand  Pie.  This  was  looked  upon 
with  disfavor:  a  party  of  three  hundred  Indians  attacked 
the  place  in  December,  but  were  foiled  in  the  aUempt;  they 
siiccteded,  however,  in  capturing  Lieutenant  Hamilton  and 
eighteen  men  who  were  surprised  without  the  fort.  Eleven 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Piziquid  were  with  the  savages  when 
the  attack  was  made,  and  Captain  Gorham  was  sent  up  to 
seize  the  rebellious  inhabitants  and  contine  them  for  trial ; 
bift  they  had  fled  for  Chignecto. 

At  this  period  in  our  histoiy,  the  priest.  La  Loutre,  fig- 
ures quite  conspicuously.  As  early  as  1740  we  find  him  act- 
ing as  a  missionary  among  the  Micmac  Indians.  He  was  a 
most  determined  enemy  to  the  British  authority  in  Acadia, 


I 


m 


'n 


I 


154 


AO&DIA 


,  i 


h'i 


if    ! 


iwi  I 


and  an  effective  emissary  and  correspondent  of  the  French 
government  in  Quebec.  In  1745  we  hear  of  him  heading  a 
body  of  Abenaqui  Indians  in  an  attack  on  Annapolis  RoyaJ.* 
Large  sums  of  money,  fire-arms,  ammunition  and  other  sup- 
pli(  s,  were  furnished  him  from  time  to  time,  for  distribU' 
tion  among  the  French  and  Indians.  His  principal  resi- 
dence was  at  Chignecto,  from  which  point  he  could  readily 
communicate  with  the  different  French  settlements  on  the 
peiiiusula.  He  held  the  office  of  Vicar-Gene  .&)  in  Acadia,  un- 
der the  Bishop  of  Quebec.  By  me.tus  of  this  office  he  ob- 
tained an  influence  over  the  Acadian  priests,  who  became 
his  agents  in  controlling  the  French  and  Indians  of  the 
province.  He  is  charged  with  still  farther  departing  fi'cm 
the  sacred  functions  of  his  office  by  engaging  in  trade,  by 
means  of  which  he  added  to  his  coffers.  The  support  he 
received  from  the  Governor  of  Canada  enabled  him  to  hold 
his  position,  regardless  of  advice  of  his  clerical  su[^eriors, 
and  rcmonsti'auces  of  the  British  authorities.  lia  Loutre's 
plan  of  operations  with  the  Acadi:;ns,  one  vshich  La  pursued 
vigorously  from  first  to  last,  was  to  threaten  them  with  the 
vengeance  of  the  savages  if  they  submitted  to  the  English, 
and  to  refuse  the  sacrament  to  all  wLo  refused  to  obey  his 
commands.  He  was  charged  with  inciting  the  Indians  to 
hostilities  at  the  early  settlement  of  Halifax,  and  encourag- 
ing their  attacks  upon  stragglers  and  those  without  the 
limits  of  the  fort  getting  fire-wood. 

With  all  these  ill-omened  influences  at  ~york,  it  is  not  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  ihe  new  governmei  t  at  Ha'ifax  re- 
garded with  suspicion  all  persons  of  French  descent,  and  in- 
terpreted all  occurrences  to  their  disadvantage.  But  one 
fails  to  see  the  justice  of  laying  tiie  acts  of  a  few  renegade 
Frenchmen  at  the  doors  of  thousands  of  law-abiding  popu- 
lation, any  more  than  pronouncing  a  whole  community  guil- 


'Seepage  8164-6. 


BEFUSIKO  THE  OATH 


165 


tj  when  a  burglary  has  been  committed  in  their  midst ;  or 
the  equity  of  the  claim  that  the  machinations  of  the  Papist 
La  Louire,  reflected  the  sentiment  of  the  whole  Acadian 
people. 
The  following  is  characteristic  of  the  time : 

"To  Capt.  Sylvanus  Cobb: — 

Having  certain  infovtnation  that  La  Loutre,  a  French 
Priest  at  Chignecto,  is  the  author  of  all  the  disturbances  the 
liiuians  have  made  ia  tnis Pioviace,  and  that  he  directs  and 
instructs  them,  and  pi'ovides  them  from  Canada  with  arms, 
anuiiunition,  and  every  thing  necessary  for  theii*  purpose, — 
I'ou  are  hereby  ordered  to  apprehend  the  said  priest  La 
Loutre  wherever  he  may  be  found,  that  he  may  answer  the 
crimes  laid  to  his  charge. 

"  As  ail  the  inhabitants  of  Chignecto,  through  his  instiga- 
tion, have  harbored  and  assisted  the  Indians,  aud  have  never 
given  the  least  intelligence  to  this  government,  you  are  here- 
by ordered  to  seize  as  many  of  the  inhabitants  as  you  can, 
or  in  case  they  quit  their  houses  upon  your  approach,  you 
are  to  seize  and  s^ecuie  as  many  of  their  wivei  and  chiiaien 
as  you  think  proper,  and  deliver  them  to  the  lirst  Eug  ish 
fort  you  shah  come  to,  to  remain  as  hostages  of  their  becier 
behavior.  You  will  likewise  seaicn  their  houst;a  for  papers, 
arms  or  ainniuniiion  and  warlike  stores  of  any  kind,  which  you 
will  take  or  destroy. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at  Halifax,  Jan.  13. 1749. 

E.  COBNWALLIS. 


Early  in  the  season  of  1750,  Governor  Cornwallis  detei*m- 
ined  to  erect  a  block-house  at  Chignecto,  w  \ere  the  most  re- 
bellious of  the  French  were  residing,  and  near  where  the 
bated  La  Loutre  had  made  his  residence.  Major  Lawrence 
was  entrusted  with  the  work;  taking  with  him  four  hun- 
dred soldiers,  they  marched  to  Minas,  from  whence  they 
embarked  for  Chignecto.  There  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Misseguash,  which  the  Fi'ench  claimed  to  be  the  boundary 
of  Acadia,  was  a  settlement  of  one  hundred  and  forty  houses. 


ij 


156 


AOADIA 


This  village  was  situated  upon  one  of  the  most  fertile  spots 
in  all  Acadia.  Its  people,  having  had  early  notice  that  the 
English  were  coming,  were  persuaded  to  abandon  their 
homes,  and  with  their  cattle  and  movables,  to  cross  the  Mis- 
seguash,  and  come  undei'  the  French  authority  on  the  nor- 
thern bank.  La  Loutre  was  the  chief  prompter  in  this 
movement ;  and  to  make  the  step  ii'revocable,  he  ordered  his 
Indians  to  set  fire  to  the  village ;  every  dwelling  was  speed- 
ily consumed,  not  exceptmg  the  chapel.  This  act  of  wanton 
devastation  committed  on  the  French  people  by  a  priest  of 
t'lieir  own  country  and  faith,  comes  well  autheuiirated, 
otherwise  it  could  hardly  be  believed.  Over  a  thousand 
persons  were  embraced  in  this  forced  emigration  ;  and  the 
number  was  increased  at  a  later  period.  About  eight  hun- 
dred AfatlJans  took  refuge  on  the  site  of  Charlottetown,  P. 
E.  I.,  during  the  summer,  and  were  fed  on  rations  furnished 
from  Quebec.  There  they  lived  miserably,  like  Indians  in 
the  woods.  Others  were  scattered  in  different  parts  of  the 
counti^.  These  poor  refugees  lived  for  several  years  within 
Bight  of  the  fields  that  had  been  their  own,  rather  than  re- 
turn to  them  on  condition  of  taking  the  Oath  of  Allegiance 
to  the  Crown  of  England ;  or  we  might  more  fitly  say,  "they 
were  restrained  by  the  influence  of  a  wicked  piiest  who  em- 
ployed savages  to  overawe  and  coerce  them."  These  were 
afterwards  known  in  history  as  the  'Teserted  French  In- 
habitants." Lawrence  did  not  build  the  fort,  as  the  with- 
drav/al  of  the  French  south  of  the  Blisseguash  rendered  it 
unnecessary,  and  so  he  marched  back  to  Minas. 

In  April,  1750,  deputies  from  River  Canard,  Grand  Pre 
and  Piziquid,  arrived  at  HaUfax,  desiring  leave  to  evacuate 
the  Province  and  carry  off  their  effects.  Governor  Corn- 
wallis  returned  them  the  following  answer: 


"I  am  not  ignorant  of  thp  fact  thnt  since  my  arrival  in 
this  Province,  every  means  has  been  employed  to  alienate 


m 


BEFUSCMQ  THE  OATH 


157 


the  hearts  of  the  Fieiiclj  subjects  of  his  Biitannic  Maje-^ty. 
I  know  that,  gnat  advantages  have  been  i.ioiui.sed  you  else- 
where, and  ti:at  vou  have  been  made  to  Iwj'ieve  vour  reliir- 
ion  was  in  danger.     Threats  have  been  resorted  to  in  order 
to  hiduce  you  to  remove  into  French  Teiritojy.     The  sav- 
ages aie  made  use  of  to  molest  you.     The  savayvs  are  to 
cut  the  throats  of  all  who  persist  in  remaining  in  thoir  na- 
tive countiy,  attached  to  their  own  interests,  and  faithful 
to  the  go\eiuujeut.     By  the  manner  in  which  this  scheme 
has  been  carried  out,  you  will  judge  of  the  characLfcr  of  the 
directors  and  of  their  designs.     You  will  judge  whether 
those  deserve  your  confidence  who  sacrifice  their  own  hon- 
or, the  honor  of  their  sovereign,  and  of  tlieir  nation,  ti  >  lead 
you  to  >our  ruin.     You  know  that  certain  officers  ain!  mis- 
Kionaries,  who  came  from  Canada  to  Chignectu  last  autumn, 
have  been  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles  duiing  the  winter. 
Their  entrance  into  this  Province,  and  their  s.ay  here,  are 
directly  contrary  to  the  treaiies  which  exist  between  the  two 
crowns.     Their  conduct  has  been  horrible,  without  honor, 
probity,  or  conscience,  and  such  as  'hey  dare  not  acknowl- 
edge  tiieniselves.     They   are  doing  everything  by   urider- 
haud  dealings,  and  by  means  of  the  savages,  whom  they 
disown  in  the  end.     It  was  these  who  induced  the  Indiaus 
of  the  lliver  ht.  John  to  join  with  the  Ivlicmacs,  the  day 
after  a  solemn  ticaty.     They  induced  tbe  Micinucs  to  com- 
mence theu-  outrages,  and  lurnisued  them  witii  everythhig 
for  theii'  war.     i  luany,  since  tne  peace,  they  have  bteu  en- 
gaged in  intrigues  auu  enterprises  for  which  an  honest  man 
would  hiive  buished  even  dui'ing  the  war.     These  same  gen- 
tlemen are  doing  their  best  to  cause  you  to  leave  thw  country 
and  to  tiansler  _)oui-8elves  to  French  territory.     They  Jiave 
endeavoied  to  give  you  vei'y  faise  ideas  wiiich  you  will  not 
fail  to  declare  to  us.     Their  aim  is  to  embroil  you  with  the 
govtinmcnt.  *  *  *  * 

•'After  having  passed  the  winter  in  the  Province  and  com- 
menced to  piepare  the  lands  in  the  spring,  it  is  luuculuus 
to  come  ana  tell  me  that  you  will  not  sow,  having  usoived 
to  withdraw.  My  friends  you  must  go  and  sow  }our  lanaa 
in  oraer  that  they  may  be  left  in  that  condition  in  wuicu 
they  ought  to  be  at  this  season.  Without  that  you  wid 
have  no  right  to  expect  the  least  favor  from  thegovernuitut. 
AVhen  you  have  done  your  duty   in   this  respect,   1    wiJ 


:f 


iff 


''    ' 


ti 


t 


jl^ 


irji; 


159 


AeXDK 


,  .Mi 


111 


!l, 


give  you  a  more  precise  reply  to  your  request.  In  the 
meantime,  as  it  is  my  detfrinination  to  act  aiways  in  pfood 
faith  witli  you  and  not  to  flatter  you  with  vain  hopes,  I  will 
now  let  you  know  my  sentiments  on  two  important  articles, 
I  declare  to  you  framkly  that  according  to  our  laws  nobody 
can  possess  lands  or  houses  in  the  Province,  who  shall  refuse 
to  take  the  Oath  of  Allegianee  to  the  King  when  required 
to  do  so.  As  to  those  who  shall  leave  the  Province,  the  or- 
der of  no  government  permits  them  to  take  with  ihem  their 
tffecits.  Ail  their  goods  are  confiscated  to  the  King.  I  have 
just  issued  mj  orders  to  the  effect  that  all  shall  be  arrested 
itud  brought  uack  who  are  found  carrying  off  such  e£fects." 

Towards  the  close  of  Majv  the  French  Neutrals  having 
Bown  their  lands,  deputies  from  Annapolis,  Grand  Pre.  Riv- 
er Canard  and  Piziquid,  again  waited  on  the  Governor  at 
Halifax,  soliciting  permission  to  leave  the  Province.  The 
following  is  a  portion  of  a  letter  given  by  him  in  reply: 

"My  friends,  the  moment  that  you  declared  it  your  desire 
to  leave  and  submit  yourselves  to  another  government,  our 
determination  was  to  hinder  nobody  from  following  what  he 
imagined  to  be  to  his  interest.  We  know  that  a  forced  ser- 
vice is  worth  nothing,  and  that  a  subject  compelled  to  be 
BO  against  his  will  is  not  far  from  being  an  enemy.  We 
frankly  confess,  however,  that  your  determination  to  leave 
gives  us  pain. 

"We  are  well  aware  of  your  industry  and  your  temper- 
ance, and  that  you  are  not  addicted  to  any  vice  or  debauch- 
ery. This  Province  is  your  councjy  ;  you  and  your  fathers 
liavc  cultivated  it ;  naturally  you  ought  to  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  your  labor.  Such  was  the  design  of  the  King  our  Mas- 
ter. You  know  that  we  have  followed  his  orders.  You 
knuw  that  we  have  done  everything  to  secure  to  you  not 
only  the  occupation  of  your  lauds,  but  the  ownership  of 
tiiom  forever. 

''  We  have  given  you  also  every  possible  assurance  of  the 
enjoyment  of  your  religion.  When  we  arrived  here  we  ex- 
|iccted  that  nothing  wuuid  give  you  so  much  pleasure  as 
ike  determination  of  his  Majesty  to  settle  this  Province. 


TterUHlNO  TUX  OATH 


159 


Certainly  nofhinjjf  more  advantageous  to  you  could  take 
place.  You  possess  the  only  cultivated  lands  in  the  Prov- 
ince ;  they  produce  grain  and  nourish  cattle  sufBcient  for 
the  whole  colony.  It  is  you  who  have  had  all  the  advant- 
ages for  a  long  time.  In  short,  we  fluttered  ourselves  that 
we  could  make  you  the  happiest  people  in  the  world.  .  .  . 
We  must  not  complain  of  all  the  inhabitaTits.  We  know 
very  well  there  ai'e  ill-disposed,  and  mischievous  persong 
among  you  who  corrupt  the  others.  Your  inexperience  and 
your  ignorance  of  the  affairs  of  government,  and  your  habit 
oi  following  the  counsels  of  those  who  have  not  your  real 
interests  at  heart,  make  it  an  easy  matter  to  seduce  you. 
In  your  petition  you  ask  for  a  general  leave.  ....  In  or- 
der to  effect  this,  we  should  have  to  notify  all  the  couimaud* 
ers  of  his  Majesty's  ships  and  troops  to  allow  every  one  to 
pass  and  repass,  which  would  cause  the  greatest  confusion. 
The  Province  would  be  opeu  to  all  sorts  of  people,  to  stran- 
gers, and  even  to  savages.  .  .  .  The  only  manner  in  which 
you  can  withdiaw  from  this  Province  is  that  all  persons 
wishing  to  leave  shall  provide  themselves  witb  our  own  pass- 
port, aud  we  declare  tnat  nothing  shall  prevent  us  from  giv- 
ing passports  to  all  those  who  asK  for  them,  the  moment  ti.at 
peaire  and  tianquillity  are  reestablished  in  the  Province. 

"  In  the  prtSL-ut  state  of  the  Province  we  are  surpiised 
that  jou  thought  of  asking  for  such  leave.  You  know  that 
the  savages  are  assembled  at  Chignecto,  furnished  with  ev- 
ery thmg  and  protected  by  a  French  detachment.  You  know 
you  will  have  to  pass  these  French  decachmentsand  savages, 
aud  that  they  compel  the  inhabitants  who  go  there  to  take 
up  arms.  I  aiu  to  presume  you  pay  no  attention  to  this. 
It  is  a  demand  I  can  by  no  means  grant." 

"  And  as  we  are  not  ignorant  of  the  uad  consequences  of 
those  assiembiies,  wliere  often  the  most  honest  people  are 
led  asaay  by  bome  seditious  persons,  we  positively  forbid, 
for  the  luture,  all  assemblies  of  the  inhabitants,  except  for 
some  impoL'taut  business,  wueu  they  shall  have  the  permis- 
sion of  the  commander  aud  when  he  or  some  one  for  him  shall 
be  present.  I  recommend  you  lo  remain  quietly  iu  your 
settlements,  occupied  about  your  own  affaiis,  until  we  shall 
gee  the  present  disturbances  settled  " 

Though  the  foregoing  is  couched   a  very  plausible  Ian* 


I 


Wl 


i    H 


i    i     it 


160 


ACATflA 


guage — the  language  a  father  would  use  toTvard  a  son  whom 
he  loved — it  is  difficult  to  reconcile  the  various  orders  ema- 
nating from  the  Halifax  government.  At  one  time  the 
French  NeuiralH  ai-e  told  to  take  the  unqualified  Oath  of 
Allegiance,  or  accept  the  alternative  of  leaving  the  country 
without  the  j  rivilege  of  selling  their  property  or  taking 
with  them  their  eifeets ;  and  when  they  come  to  ask  per- 
miasion  to  leave  on  the  latter  ruii.ou8  conditions,  they  are 
plainly  told  they  cannot  be  permitted  to  leave  the  couutry. 
The  English,  as  they  themselves  declare,  weie  averse  to  hav- 
ing the  twenty  thousatid  Acadians  join  their  enemies  in 
Canada  and  elsewhere — the  threat  therefore  that  they  must 
take  the  oath  or  leave  the  colony  could  not  have  been  made 
in  good  faith.  Those  who  are  disposed  to  condemn  the 
course  of  the  Acadians  in  not  accepting  so  many  blessings 
as  promiseii  by  Governor  Cornwallis,  by  so  easy  a  matter 
as  subscribing  to  an  oath,  and  so  sc>care  all  that  earth  could 
give,  have  but  to  imagine  the  condition  of  the  Acadians  had 
they  subscribed  to  the  oath,  in  case  the  Province  again  re- 
verted to  French  dominatiuu,  as  it  was,  to  all  appearance 
likely  to  do  at  any  time.  With  Papist  piiests  and  Canadian 
Governors  on  une  hand,  and  the  English  on  the  other,  the 
poor  Acadian  l''reneh,  distrusted  by  both,  with  ruin  staving 
them  in  the  fuoe,  military  quartered  among  them,  propeity 
taken  by  force  by  friend  and  foe  alike, — theii'  condition 
was  truly  deplorable. 

The  following  letter  from  La  Loutre  addressed  to  M. 
Bigot,*  Commissary  of  New  P'rance,  dated  Bay  Verte  Aug- 

'Seycn  miles  from  Quebec  are  the  roiiib  of  a  maasiun,  consisting  ot 
gables  and  division-wall,  in  thick  masonry,  with  a  deep  cellar,  outside  of 
which  are  heaps  of  debris,  over  which  grow  alders  and  lilacs.  This  cha- 
teau was  occupied  by  the  last  Koyal  Intendant,  M.  Bigot,  a  dissolute  and 
Ucentioiis  French  satrap,  who  stole  !|2,000,000  from  the  treasiu^-.  The 
legeud  tolls  us  that  Bigot  used  this  building  for  a  hunting  lodge  and  pluoe 
of  revels,  and  that  once,  while  pursuing  a  bear  among  the  hills,  he  got 
lost,  and  was  guided  back  to  the  chateau  by  a  lovely  Algon(j[uiii  maideu 


FALL  OF  BCAVREJOITR 


161 


loth.  17."0.  not  only  shows  the  powers  exercised  by  that 
worldly  priest,  but  likewise  exhibits  the  condition  of  the 
families  of  the  Neutra's  at  this  period.  The  letter  was  found 
on  a  captured  sloop  taken  from  the  French  by  the  British 
ship,  2Vial: 

"  I  send  yon  the  ship  London.  M.  de  Bonaventure  is  to 
write  to  you  by  this  opportunity  to  ask  you  for  provisions, 
not  being  able  to  get  any  from  Louisbourg  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  refufifee  families.  If  the  four  vessels  that  you 
pronaised  us  had  arrived,  we  would  have  sent  some  flour 
to  Isle  St.  Jean  (Prince  Edward  Island);  but  for  the  pres- 
ent we  cannot  do  so.  We  have  here  a  great  many  people  to 
support,  and  in  the  autumn  we  shall  have  an  increase  of 
more  than  sixty  families  from  Beaubassin,  and  the  rivers 
whic'.i  are  beyond  our  claims,  who  have  not  sown  at  all,  in 
order  to  withdraw  to  our  territories. 

*'  The  inhabitants  of  Cobequid  are  to  decide  as  soon  as 
th<-y  hf  nv  from  France.  They  will  make  the  number  one 
hundred  families.  Perhaps  we  shall  have  some  from  Minas 
if  they  can  escape.  You  see  tliat  we  require  provisions ; 
&ud  it  would  be  exposing  these  families  to  peiisli,  not  to  he 

in  a  condition  to  help  them The  Ciinabas  avIio  were 

on  the  Chebucto  road  hav«  seized  the  letters  of  the  English 
who  were  writing  to  Minas  and  Port  Royal.  I  will  iiave 
theui  sent  to  you  by  the  tirst  courier. 

"I.  ail  our  savages  were  Frenchmen  we  should  not  be 
embarrassed  ;  but  the  wretches  get  tired,  and  will  perhaps 
leave  us  in  our  greatest  need.  They  are  getting  tired  at  not 
heai'iiig  from  France  ;  and  it  is  very  suipiising  there  are  no 
lett^r.s  lor  us,  although  a  vessel  has  arrived  at  Louisbourg 

Laving  three  hundred  soldiers  on  board We  are  waiting 

here  only  for  news  from  France  to  decide  upon  our  course." 

Gov.  Cornwallis  and  his  Council,  having  decided  the  erec- 
tion of  a  fort  at  Chignecto  a  necessity  for  the  proper  guard- 


whom  he  had  met  in  the  forest  She  remained  in  this  bulMiug  •:  ling 
time,  in  a  luxurious  boudoir,  and  wia  visited  frequently  by  the  Int  jnd- 
ant ;  but  one  night  she  was  assassinated  by  some  uukuovvu  ijei'Hv)n,  either 
M.  Bigot's  wife  ur  her  own  mother,  tu  avenge  luu  dibuouur  lo  her  iribe. 


J 


162 


AOADIA 


Log  of  their  interests  on  the  Peninsula,  Lieut.-Col.  Lawrence 
was  sent  there  in  September,  with  a  strong  force  to  erect 
one.  The  French  and  Indians  opposed  their  landing,  but 
were  driven  off  after  a  sharp  skiimish.  A  short  distance 
south  of  the  Misseguash,  opposite  Fort  Beausejour,  on  a 
considerable  elevation,  Lawrence  commenced  the  erection  of 
a  picketed  fort,  and  a  block-house,  which  he  named  after  him- 
self. Though  the  two  crowns  were  then  at  peace,  here  were 
two  fortifications  on  opposite  sides  of  the  Misseguash, 
manned  by  so  diers  of  diffei'ent  nationalities,  between  which 
something  very  similar  to  a  state  of  warfare  existed. 


ij. 


I    ,. 


Wi 


FALL  OF  BEAUSEJOUB. 


As  has  be^n  before  intimateil,  the  campaign  against  Nova 
Scotia  was  undertaken  at  the  expenise  and  under  the  author- 
ity of  the  iiritisii  Crown.  Tlie  troops,  however,  were  drawn 
from  among  the  colonists  of  New  England,  and  acted  under 
tlieir  own  officers.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moncton  held  the 
command  of  the  expedition,  but  the  soldiers  from  MasHa- 
chusetts,  consisting  of  two  battalions,  of  which  Governor 
Shirley  was  Colonel,  were  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  John 
Winslow  of  Marshfield.  Haiburtou  says  of  Winslow  that 
he  was  "a  gentleman  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  end  honor- 
able families  in  the  Province,  who  held  a  commission  of 
Major-General  in  the  Militia,  and  whose  influence  was  so 
great  as  to  efTect  the  raising  of  two  thousand  men  in  about 
two  months,  to  serve  for  the  term  of  one  year  if  so  long  re- 
quhed." 

The  fleet,  with  about  two  thousand  men  on  board,  set 
sail  from  Boston  on  the  20th  of  May,  and  in  five  days  reached 
Annapolis.  Then  taking  on  board  about  three  iiuudred  of 
Warburton's  regiment,  and  a  small  train  of  artillery,  iliey 
bore  away  for  Chignecto,  where  they  arrived  on  the  2ni»  of 
June,  and  the  following  day  the  troops  landed  and  encui ap- 
ed around  Fort  Lawrence.  Vergor,  then  in  comuiau  i  at 
Fort  Beausejour,  called  in  all  his  available  forces,  sei  !ing 
an  order  to  the  Acadians  to  cume  to  bis  assistance: — llico 


I  r 


164 


ACADIA 


hundred  of  whom  obeyed  under  compulsion.*  On  the  4Lh 
of  that  month  the  New  England  troops  were  set  in  motion. 
The  first  vebistauue  was  met  at  Pout  a  Buot,  a  few  miles  east 
of  EeausBJour,  where  was  a  block-house  and  a  strong  breast- 
work of  tunber.  A  spirited  attack  was  made  on  this  place, 
and  the  French  were  driven  out  of  the  works  after  an  hour's 
Lard  fighting;  following  up  their  advantage,  the  English 
pressed  upon  the  block-liouse,  which  was  soon  abandoned 
and  set  on  fire,  the  enemy  seeking  the  cover  of  Fort  Beau- 
sejour.  From  the  block-house  Colonel  Moncton  advanced 
to  w.thin  half  a  league  of  the  French  fortress,  and  invested 
tnat  p.acB  with  his  little  army.  As  the  French  retired  they 
set  file  to  all  the  houses  between  Pont  a  Buot  and  BeauBe- 
jour,  to  the  nuuiber  of  sixty,  and  before  niyht  all  were  in 
ruins,  not  even  excepting  the  chuich.  For  more  than  a 
weei:  the  English  were  employed  in  getting  theu*  cannon 
over  the  river,  cutting  a  road  through  the  woods,  and  loca- 
ting a  battery  on  the  hij^h  ground  behind  the  fort.  The 
Krent-h  in  the  mountimo  had  been  actively  employed  in 
strengthening  the  place.  On  the  13th  the  guns  opened  on 
Fort  Beausej our;  the  following  day  tiiey  fired  small  she.ia 
from  trenches  dug  within  seven  hundred  feet  of  the  walla. 
Vergor  had  been  expecting  help  from  Louisbourg,  to  which 
place  he  had  sent  for  assistance  when  first  hearing  of  Mono* 
ton's  approach  :  he  was  doomed  to  disappointnient — tha 
commander  at  Louisbourg  sending  word  he  could  give  him 
no  nieu  as  he  was  himself  threatened  Vr'ith  an  English  squR  .!• 
ron.  Many  of  the  Acadians  deserted;  the  rest  asi:ed  p^ir* 
mission  to  letire,  which  was  refused.  On  the  IGth,  a  l.trge 
shell  rolled  into  one  of  the  casemates,  killing  an  English 
prisoner  by  the  nauie  of  Hay,  and  three  French  ofiicerd* 


•JliiHuay  states,  the  Acadi.ta  French  were  willing  to  take  ip  armi 
agaiust  the  English,  and  that  this  protesting  against  aiding  tl  Frmch 
was  only  a  sulnojfiiye,  in  case  the  refugees  utieiward  fell  into  Xiiigliah 
power.     Ue  gives  uo  uutiioiiiy  for  thu  biuceiueut,  however. 


TALL  OF  BEACSEJODB 


165 


Tlie  same  day  Vergor  sent  an  officer  to  Moucton  for  a  sus- 
pension of  hostilities ;  terms  of  siarencler  were  ugreed  upon 
and  the  same  evening  the  PIng'isli  entfrod  t!;e  foi  t. 

Tiie  terras  of  ( ivpitulatiou  grantod  by  the  victorious  New 
England  General  were — that  the  soldiers  should  g(j  out  of 
the  garrison  bearing  their  arms ;  that  they  should  be  given 
a  passage  by  hea  to  Louisbouig ;  and  they  agieed  not  to  bear 
arms  in  America  for  six  months.  The  Acadian  ;.  who  liad 
been  forced  to  take  up  arms  on  pain  of  death,  were  par- 
doned.* 

"In  the  evening,  Vergor  gave  a  supper,  at  which  the  offi- 
ceis  of  both  armies  were  present :  but  there  was  one  well- 
known  face  absent  from  the  board.  The  Abbe  Fa  Loutie, 
seeing  no  clause  in  the  terms  of  capitulation  that  would 
cover  his  case,  had  withdrawn  from  the  fort  just  before  the 
English  entered  it.  His  career,  as  an  agitator  and  political 
incendiary,  was  ended.  The  result  of  all  his  schcujes  had 
been  simply  his  own  ruin,  and  that  of  the  cause  for  whi'-h 
he  Lad  labored.  As  in  his  disguise,  and  concealed  by  the 
shadows  of  the  evening,  he  wended  his  way  t(  Aard  the 
northern  wilderness,  an  outcast  and  a  fugitive,  it  may  pos- 
sibly have  occurred  to  him  that  his  political  mission  was  a 
mistake ;  that  he  would  have  done  better  had  he  taken  the 
advice  of  his  Bishop,  and  attended  to  the  duties  of  his  office 
as  a  missionary  priest When  he  got  to  Quebec,  aller 


•  So  says  Hannay.  Minot  says  it  wrts  "stipulated  that  they  should  be 
left  in  the  same  situation  that  they  were  in  when  the  army  arrived,  and 
noi  be  punishsd  for  what  they  had  done  afterwards. "  This  we  believe  to 
be  tlie  only  instance  in  which  a  considerable  body  of  the  Neutral  French 
were  ever  found  in  arms  against  the  English  :  and,  as  the  above  authorities 
Htate,  they  were  pardoned.  Yet  the  EupjUsh  were  wont  to  justify  their 
cruel  measure  of  expatriating  the  whole  French  people  from  their 
country,  mainly  on  the  ground  of  this  act.  It  is  difficult  to  perceive  the 
justice  of  condemning  the  three  hundred  for  an  offense  that  had  been 
pardoned  ;  nuich  less  the  >  (juity  of  consideriug  a  whole  nation  guilty  of 
a  oi'ime  that  was  committed  by  a  few  only. 


■ 


\f 


II.! 


166 


AOADTA 


a  fatiguing  journey  through  the  wilderness,  he  met  with  a 
cold  reception  from  the  Governor,  and  was  bitterly  re- 
proached by  the  Bishop  for  his  unclerical  conduct."* 

Colonel  Moncton,  after  putting  a  garrison  in  the  captur- 
ed fortress  and  changing  its  name  to  Fort  Cumberland,  in 
honor  of  the  Royal  Duke  who  had  won  the  victory  at  Collo- 
den,  next  marched  against  Bay  Verte  on  the  Gulfof  St.  Law- 
rence. He  promptly  reduced  that  place,  where  he  found  a 
large  quantity  of  provisions,  ammunition  and  stores  of  all 
kinds,  that  being  the  port  from  which  these  articles  were  sup- 
plied to  the  French.  He  likewise  disarmed  the  Acadian  ref- 
ugees in  that  vicinity,  numbering  about  fifteen  hundred. 
The  fortifications  at  St.  John  harbor,  a  few  days  later,  which 
had  but  just  been  raised,  were  blown  up  and  destroyed  at 
the  approach  of  the  English.  During  all  those  operations 
the  New  England  troops  lost  only  about  twenty  men  killed, 
and  the  same  number  wounded.  The  French  forta  on  the 
Peninsula  having  been  reduced  and  French  power  broken, 
the  expedition  was  at  liberty  to  proceed  with  the  buuiuess 
of  removing  the  French  from  the  territory. 


•  Haunay. 


PRELIMINARY  TO  EXPULSION. 


*'Tko  year  1755  comroenced  with  preparations  for  dis- 
lodging  the  French  from  theu*  encroachments."  So  wrote 
Haliburton.  He  might  have  written,  the  year  commenced 
with  preparations  for  forcibly  removing  the  French  from 
the  soil  that  had  been  theus  by  inheritance  for  four  succes- 
sive generations,  extending  over  more  than  a  century  and  a 
quarter  of  peaceable  possession. 

"  Perhaps,"  says  another  historian,*  "  those  who  examine 
the  whole  matter  impartially,  m  the  light  of  all  the  iacts, 
will  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  have  been  a  real 
cause  for  shame  had  the  Acadians  been  permitted  longer  to 
misuse  the  clemency  of  the  government,  to  plot  against 
British  power,!  and  to  obstruct  the  settlement  of  the  Prov- 
ince by  loyal  subjects."^ 


'Hanuay. 

t  Governor  Mascarene  writes  to  the  Doke  of  Newcastle  in  1742,  after 
nourly  thirty  years  of  English  rule  in  Acadia,  "The  frequent  rumors  we 
Lavo  Lad  of  war  being  declared  against  France,  hare  not  as  yet  made  any 
ftlteraliuu  in  the  temper  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  Province,  who  appear 
m  a  good  disposition  of  keeping  to  their  oath  of  Fidelity. " 

I A  disclosure  of  the  motives  of  the  English  is  given  by  Lawrence  in  a 
letter  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  Oct  IS,  1755,  in  which  he  acknowledges  the 
following  :  "As  soon  as  the  French  are  gone,  I  shall  use  my  best  eudeav- 
»rs  to  encourage  people  to  come  from  the  Continent  to  settle  their  lands, 
|ud  if  I  sucoeed  ia  this  point  we  shall  soon  be  in  a  condition  of  supplying 


ill 


|i 


11 


li 


!i  || 


■ 


■■      \ 


1  j;  in 

I 


IC8 


ACKVIA 


In  "  Walsh's  Appeal,"  where  the  author  spt?aFcs  of  Win- 
bIow'b  caiiipaign  against  Nova  Scotia,  we  tiiul  these  words — 
"  This  officer,  General  Winslow,  of  an  exceptionable  and 
elevated  character,  left  upon  record  the  expression^  of  hi& 
disgust  and  horror  in  submitting  to  act  the  part  which  wa& 
imposed  upon  him  by  the  British  authority.  I  transcribe 
some  of  tlie  shocking  details  from  Minot."  Extolling  one's 
character  and  condemning  his  acts  as  shocking,  all  in  the 
same  brcatli ! 

Entiek,  a  writer  of  no  mean  authority^  whose  account  i» 
the  principal  one  through  which tiie aflfair  is  ci)cuniHtantia'.ly 
known  to  the  readers  of  English  history,  speaks  in  this 
wise : — 

"  General  Lawienco  pursued  his  success,  and  was  obliged 
to  »ise  much  seveiity,  to  extirpate  the  French  and  Indiaiis, 
who  rei'used  to  contorm  to  the  .avvs  of  Great  Britain,  or  to 
swear  allepam  o  to  oiu-  sovereign,  and  had  eugayeJ  to  join 
the  French  trcjps  in  the  spring,  expected  to  arrive  from  old 
France,  as  earh-  as  possible  on  that  coast  or  atLouisbourg  j 
some  of  whom,  with  annuuiation,  stores,  6cc.j  fell  into  the 
hands  of  our  cruisers  off  Cape  Breton.  Goneral  Lav,  rence 
did  not  only  pursue  those  dangerous  inhabitants  wilh  lire 
and  sword,  laying  the  country  waste,  bui-uing  their  dwell- 
iugs,  and  earrymg  off  their  stock ;  but  he  thought  it  expe- 
dient for  his  JIajedty's  service  to  transport  the  French  Nou- 
trald,  BO  as  entirely  to  extirpate  a  people,  that  only  waited 
an  ojjportunity  to  join  the  enemy.  This  measui'e  was  very 
commendable.  But  the  execution  of  it  was  not  quite  so 
prudent.     The  method  taken  by  the  General  to  secure  the 


ourselves  with  provisions,  nml  I  hope  in  time  to  be  able  to  strike  off  the 
greiil  cxpeuBO  of  victuiilhn^  the  tn)op«.  This  \va.s  oue  of  the  Impjiy  ill.  eta 
I  proposed  to  niyspif  from  drivinR  the  French  off  the  ist)iinn« :  uiiii  ;iie 
HclcUtioiml  circuuislunco  of  the  mlmhitiuit«  evncuiuiu^;  the  countiy  will.  1 
flutter  niyht^lf,  greatly  hiisten  this  event,  tu*  it  fiuuisliea  us  with  a  iHTgO 
qutiutity  of  ^uud  liiud  ictidy  for  iiiUue^Utitti  cultivatioo." 


PREMMINABI  10  EXPULSION 


1C9 


Province  from  this  pest,  wa  ^  to  distribute  thera,  in  number 
about  seven  thousand,  among  the  British  Colonies,  in  that 
rigorous  season  of  winter,  almost  naked  and  without  money 
or  effects  to  help  themselves." 

While  Entick  makes  a  candid  statement  of  the  violent  pro- 
cedure of  the  English  against  the  Neutrals,  we  cannot  fail 
to  observe  hov,  adroitly  he  introduces  the  fixprt-ssion  "dan- 
gerous irhttbitants,"  "  who  only  wanted  an  oppoituiiity  to 
join  the  enemy,"*  ''pests,"  and  such  like  epi*u?ts,  by  way  of 
justifying  the  act.  We  leave  the  reader  wL^-,  in  the  forego- 
ing pages,  has  had  the  samt  sources  of  inforniution  put  be- 
fore him,  to  judge  whether  those  expressions  are  deserved. 
The  documents  copied,  as  before  stated  are  most  of  them 
from  English  authors  from  an  English  stanil point,  and  we 
should  expect  would  bs  colored  to  favor  the  English  if  color- 
ed at  all,  still  less  is  it  likely  they  would  favor  the  French 
more  than  facts  will  wairant.  All  the  papeis  and  uocu- 
mentri  in  poshcs^-ion  of  the  Acailia:is  were  taken  from  tliem 
at  the  time  of  their  expulsion  or  previous  tliereto;  as  lew 
or  none  of  tht  ni  have  ever  ci«mo  to  light,  we  have  the  right 
to  presume  they  were  puiposely  destroyed — as  the  iaw- 
brea'.er  undertakes  to  cover  up  all  traces  of  his  guiit,  with 
the  view  of  escaping  censure  for  his  acts. 

The  historian,  IMinot,  speaking  of  the  French  Neutrals, 
says,  their  character  and  situation  were  so  peculiar  as  "to 
distinguish  them  from  t^'must  ever}'  other  community  that 
has  suffen  d  under  the  scourge  of  war.  They  wi-re  the 
descendiuits  of  thosj  French  inhabitants  of  \ovu  Scotia, 
who,  afler  tlie  traity  uf  Utrecht  in  171l>,  by  which  the  ]'rov- 
inct  was  ceded  to  England,  were  peirnitted  to  hold  their 


•'I'hii*  snuic  Gov  r.or  Liiwrence,  in  u  letter  written  tlie  your  i)r»'viow 
to  the  liCiils  of  Trade,  hhw  :  "1  Ix'lievc  th.it  ii  very  Isirgo  jiiut  i.l'  tho  in- 
hiiliitiiiiih  wiiuM  «u><mit  to  any  terms  iJitluT  tluiu  take  up  aruis  on  cilker 
Bide.  '     WLicU  assci uon  i«  the  uiuk-  truthful ! 


^ 

--1 

i  ; 

:  1 

1 

,  f 

I' 


ili! 


)'» 


W 


1 
I 


I        il 


170 


aoIdia 


lands,  on  condition  of  making  a  declaration  of  allegiance  tc 
their  new  sovereij^ii,  which  acknowledgment  of  fldelitj  was 
given  under  an  express  sHp'ilation  that  they  and  their  pos- 
terity should  not  be  required  to  bear  arms,  either  against 
their  Indian  neighbors  oi*  tiaus-Atlantic  countrymen.  This 
cont.aet  was  at  several  periods  revived,  and  renewed  to  their 
children;  and  such  was  the  notoriety  of  the  compact,  that 
for  half  a  century,  they  bore  the  nanie,  and  with  some  ex- 
ceptions, mainiaincd  the  cuaracter,  of  Neutrals." 

We  next  (]uote  from  a  declaration  of  the  French  Neutrals 
then;selvos,  on  this  pohit,  who  were  living  in  exile  in  Penn- 
Bj'Jvania  at  the  time  it  was  made,  and  who  liad  petitioned 


Kin; 


suflfcrings : 


Geuige  of  Great  Britain  to  take  cognizance  of  their 


"It  is  a  matter  of  certainty,  (and  within  the  compass  of 
some  of  our  memories,)  that  hi  the  year  1730,  General  Pliil- 
lips,  the  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  did  in  your  Majesty's 
name  confirm  to  us,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  tlie  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  Bay  of  IMinas  and  rivers  thereunto  belonging, 
the  free  and  entire  possession  of  thoso  lands  we  were  Liiea 
possessed  of,  wliicli  by  grants  from  the  former  Freni-li  Gov- 
ernment we  held  to  us  and  our  heirs  i'orever,  on  paying  the 
customary  quit-rents,  &c.  And  on  condition  we  shoukl  be- 
have with  due  submission  and  fidelity  to  your  .Mujetity, 
agreeably  to  the  oath  which  was  then  administered  to  us, 
which  is  as  follows:  "We  sincerely  promise  and  swear  by 
the  faith  of  a  Christian,  that  we  shall  be  entirely  iaithfiil, 
and  will  truly  submit  ourselves  to  his  Majesty,  King  George, 
whom  we  acknowledge  as  sovereign  Lord  of  New  tn-otlaud 
or  Arcadia:  so  God  help  us."  And  at  the  same  time  the 
said  Phillips  did,  in  like  manner,  promise  the  said  Frencli  in- 
habitants in  your  Majesty's  name,  that  they  should  have 
the  true  exercise  of  their  religion  and  be  excmpt<'d  from 
bearing  arms  and  from  being  employed  ir.  war  either  i:gainst 
the  French  or  Indians :  Under  the  suuctiuu  of  this  sukmu 


PBELIMINARY  TO  EXPtTLSION 


in 


engagement  we  held  our  lands,  made  further  purchases,  and 
annually  paying  our  quit-rents,  and  we  had  the  greatest 
reason  to  conclude  that  your  Majesty  did  not  disapprove  of 
the  above  agreement." 

That  this  charge  was  never  denied  may  be  taken  as  an 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  asseveration.  The  British 
ministry  made  no  e£fort  to  explain,  or  contradict  the  allega- 
tion. 

Governor  Lawrence  writes  to  Secretary  of  State  Nov.  30, 
1755  :  "  The  people  ....  were  by  us  commonly  called 
the  Deserted  French  Inhabitants,  because  they  were  uuivers- 
a'ly,  as  well  as  the  other  inhabitants,  the  descendants  of  those 
French  left  in  Nova  Scotia  at  the  treat}'  of  Utrecht ;  and  had 
jakeu  the  Oiith  of  Allegiauio  to  his  Majosty  in  the  time  of 
General  rhi.iips'  government,  with  the  rtnerce  of  not  bear- 
ing arms  !  " 


We  prefer  that  the  melancholy  story  of  the  French  Neu- 
trals shall  b'^  toid  by  those  who  were  best  acquainted  with 
their  circanl^tances  and  were  living  among  them.  We  shall 
thorel'oru  thaw  largely  from  the  documents  of  that  period. 
Governor  lir.pson,  who  sufcocded  Cornwailis  iu  Aug.,  1752, 
tlms  writt  s  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  under  date  of  the  10th  day 
of  Decenibev; 

"I  should  be  glad  to  have  your  Lordships'  opinion  as 
early  in  the  sprin^^y  as  possible,  concerning  the  oaths  I  am  to 

tender  to  the  Fiench  inhabitants Mr.  Corn walHs  can 

inform  you  how  diflicult,  if  not  impossible,  it  may  be  Lo  force 
Buch  a  thing  upon  them,  and  what  ill  consequences  may  at- 
tend it.  As  they  appear  to  be  better  dij^posed  than  they 
have  been,  and  I  hope  will  still  amend  and  in  a  long  course 
of  time  become  less  scrupulous,  I  beg  to  know  iii  thii  spring 
how  far  his  Mujesty  would  approve  my  silence  on  t!  is  liead 
till  a  more  convt uii iit  opportunity.  Mr.  Coinwaliis  can  in- 
form you  how  useful  and  neces^iury  those  people  aie  to  us. 


172 


ACADIA 


how  impossible  it  is  to  do  without  them,  or  to  replace  them 
even  if  we  had  other  settlers  to  put  in  their  places,  and  at 
the  sauie  time  will  acquaint  you  how  obstinate  they  have 
always  been  when  the  oaths  have  been  offered." 

Governor  Hopson  seems  to  have  counseled  a  mild  and  for- 
bearing deportment  towards  the  French  people.  He  direct- 
ed his  soldiers  to  take  nothing  froii^thera  by  force,  or  set 
any  price  upon  the  goods  but  what  they  themselves  agreed 
to ;  that  upon  all  occasions  they  were  to  be  trea:ed  us  his 
Majesty's  subjects,  to  whom  the  laws  of  the  country  were 
open,  to  protect  as  well  as  to  punish. 

The  considerate  demeanor  of  Governor  Hopson,  thus 
shown  toward  the  French  inhabitants,  would  seem  to  have 
had  its  effects  if  we  can  judge  from  a  letter  written  by  him 
to  tlie  Lords  of  Trade  the  following  July.  After  some  pre- 
liminary remarks  in  relation  to  th^  state  of  the  Province,  he 
goes  on  to  say : 

"  As  the  almost  continual  war  we  have  with  the  Indiana 
prevents  our  mixing  any  English  settlers  among  these  in- 
habilants,  or  instituting  any  sort  of  civil  jurisdiction  among 
then»,  they  have  hitherto  bei^n  left  open  to  the  insinuationa 
and  evil  piac'tices  of  French  priests  and  other  emissaries 
tlmt  are  sent  amongst  them  from  Canada  and  the  French 
fort  at  Beausejour,  who  have  at  all  times  been  endeavoring 
to  prejudice  them  against  an  English  government,  and  to 
•nci  suade  them  that  the  country  they  live  in  will  sbdrtly 
all  into  the  hands  of  the  French  either  by  negotiationn  or 
bv  force  oi  lunis.  Though  these  doctrines  would  not  fail  of 
their  desired  cft'ect  with  so  ignorant  and  so  bigoted  a  \)eo- 
p!e,  yet  no  event  happening  in  all  this  tim'^  ^^owards  the  ac- 
complishment of  their  predictions,  the  iniiubitants  began  to 
suspect  they  were  deceived,  and  even  some  few  of  those  wlio 
had  deserted  their  lanils  ntaincii  ag.iin  into  the  Province, 
and  I  have  bten  privately  mformed  tliat  the  inhabitants  went 
so  far  as  to  hold  consultation  whether  they  should  not  thiow 
themscives  under  the  protection  of  the  English  governniei;t 
and  become  subjects  to  all  intents  and  juiposes;  but  tiiero 
ttioue  tt  very  uunuiderubie  ubjecitou  to  tiiis  step,  which  wai 


PBELIMIKABT  TO  EXPTTLSION 


173 


that  as  they  lived  on  farms  very  remote  from  one  another, 
and  of  course  aie  not  i-apab'o  of  resisting  anykindof  enf^niy, 
the  French  might  send  tiie  Indians  among  thorn  and  distrtvss 
tbem  to  bucli  a  degree  that  tiiey  wou^d  Ui)t  ho  ablo  to  re- 
uiiiin  un  their  farms,  which  appreheii^^ioa  they  werw  soon 
coutirmed  in  by  the  arrival  of  the  Abbe  La  Loutre  at  JJay 
Verte,  where  he  has  just  now  assembled  the  Indians." 

About  the  middle  of  September,  1753,  the  French  inhabit- 
ants sent  a  petition  to  Governor  ifopson,  begging  that  the 
ix)i«sionaries  might  be  exempted  from  taking  the  Oath  of 
Allegiance.  They  said  thoy  hoped  his  Kxcelhncy  would 
grunt  that  favor,  inasmuch  as,  when  they  took  the  oath,  it 
was  on  condition  they  should  be  allowed  the  free  exercise 
of  theu'  religion,  and  a  sufficient  number  of  ministers  to  per- 
form the  services.  If  this  oath  were  recpiired  of  the  mission- 
aries they  would  not  remain  among  the  peop.e.  The}*  siiid 
the  priest  Daulin  "  who  has  lately  come  hither  for  the 
purpose  of  instructing  us,  has  determined  to  return  should 
this  oath  be  required  of  him."  The  Governor  and  Council, 
on  consideiation,  were  of  the  belief  that  the  Fiench  author- 
ities had  ordered  the  priests  not  to  take  any  oath,  which 
would  have  the  effect  of  depriving  the  Neutrals  of  tlieir 
pi'iests,  and  so  induce  them  to  quit  the  Province ;  it  was 
thought  best  therefore  to  grant  the  i^etition. 

Two  weeks  later  Governor  Hopson  received  a  petition 
from  the  Deserted  French  Inhabit  iints,  those  who  had  vol- 
untarily left  their  Acadian  fainis  and  were  supplied  with 
rations  by  the  French  Govermnent.  In  this  petition  they 
stated  theii-  reason  for  leaving  thou*  properly  "  was  the  uevr 
oath  which  his  Excellency  Mr.  Cornwailis  wished  to  exact 
from  us,  desiring  to  break  and  revoke  the  one  granted  to  us 


H 


on  the  11th  of  October,  1727,  by  Gov.  Armstrong.  Hav- 
ing learned  that  if  willing  to  return  they  would  be  granied 
the  same  favors  as  were  given  them  by  Annstrojig,  tlu-y 


proposed  to  negotiate  with  the  Engish  with  tliai  end  in 


xl 


»*! 


t      i 


174 


ACASU 


view.     They  were  willing  to  accept  of  th*»  oath  as  follows : 

"  Je  promets  et  jure  8inc6remeat  que  je  serai  fid61e  a  La 
Majeste  le  Eoi  George  Second  et  a  sea  successeurs.  Dieu 
me  soit  en  aide.'' 

[I  sincerely  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  be  faithful  to- 
his  Majesty  King  George  the  Second  and  to  his  successors. 
So  help  me  God.] 

The  Deserted  French  also  desired  the  following  articles, 
which  they  claim  were  granted  tbera  by  Governoi*  Phillip ■*, 
on  which  conditions  they  wei-e  willing  to  return  to  their 
farms  : — That  they  be  exompted  from  taking  up  arms  against 
any  one  whate%'er,  and  not  bo  forced  to  act  as  pilots  ;  that 
they  shall  be  free  to  sell  their  t  fft?ctsand  withdraw  fi-om  the 
Province  at  any  time  :  and  that  they  have  the  full  eiijoy- 
meift  of  their  religion  with  as  many  priests  as  they  desire.* 

The  Council  decided  to  tender  thorn  the  oath  in  these 

words :  '•  Je •  Promets  et  Jure  siiicirGnK.Mit  quo  Je  serai 

fidele,  et  que  Je  porterai  tine  Loyanle  pavfaite  vers  Sa  Maj- 
este  le  lloi  George  Second. 

Ainsi  que  Dieu  mo  Soit  en  Aide." 

and  that  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  shall  on  or  before  the 
20tii  day  of  Noveudier  next  take  the  foregoing  oath,  shall 
be  admitted  to  return  to  a  peaceable  possr-ssion  of  their 
lands  at  Chignecto,  shall  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their  re- 
ligion, and  bo  accorded  all  the  privileges  granted  them  by 
the  treaty  of  Utrecht. 


U)l 


*Tlie  Deserted  French  Inliabitants,  in  s  itmuiin!  for  n  nmewnl  of 
their  jirivilt,^,'cs  to  Govenior  1  l()p«<on  in  1753,  nmkf«i  the  cliai'^;e  of  liu-k  of 
fidfiU.y  on  thejiart  of  the  EuRlish  in  Uiese  wordu  "We  hope  that  tliewe 
ftrtides  will  be  granted  us  by  your  Kxeellency,  iiud  even  rHtiticd  ly  the 
Cnnrr  of  Enplnml,  so  that  those  who  niJiy  snececil  your  Ilxci'llenc;-  slmll 
not  make  the  pretext  that  Ooniwnllis  inmle  in  sayiug  tlint  (lovernor  I'hil- 
li]j^  had  no  auUiority  from  the  Court  of  EugliuKl  for  the  outh  he  granted 


PBEXIMINXRY  TO  EXPULSION 


175 


In  Jane  of  the  following  year  the  French  Deserted  Inhab- 
itants made  answer  that  uuluss  they  could  be  assured  that 
they  would  not  be  required  to  bear  arms,  they  could  not 
possibly  think  of  returning  to  their  possessions. 

Governor  Hopson  was  succeeded  by  Governor  Lawrence ; 
the  reader  cannot  fail  to  note  the  change  in  the  tone  of  the 
letters  sent  to  the  home  government  relative  to  the  Frenob 
Neutrals.  Lawrence  i)roved  himself  the  sort  of  ruler  that 
was  needed  to  carry  out  the  harsh  measures  of  the  ysar 
1755  to  a  successful  issue.  Writing  to  the  Lords  of  Trade 
he  complains  of  the  "many  inconveniences  he  has  long  .a- 
bortd  under  from  their  obstinacy,  treachery,  partiality  to 
their  own  countrymen,  and  their  ingratitude  for  the  favor, 
indulgence  and  p.utecLion,  tl:ey  nave  at  all  times  so  uuJe*- 
Beivecily  receive  .  irom  his  Majesty's  Government." 

Just  how  much  "protection"  the  French  Inhabitants 
weie  the  ungrateful  recipients  of  may  be  learned  by  a  letter 
from  Governor  Hopson  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  of  a  previous 
date,  in  which  he  says — "Exclusive  of  the  difficulty  that  at- 
tends marching  after  Indians  in  a  country  like  this,  I  assure 
your  Lordship  that  the  troops  are  so  divided  iu  keeping  the 
different  posts  at  Chigiiecto,  Annapolis  lioyal,  Minas,  iizi- 
quid,  Luuenburgh,  Dartmouth,  George's  Island,  Fort  Suck- 
ville  and  Halifax,  that  I  have  not  at  present  a  detachnunt 
to  spare  from  hence  even  upon  the  most  urgent  occasion." 

Governor  Lawrence  continues: 


"  Your  Lordships  well  know  they  have  always  affected  a 
neutrality,  and  as  it  has  been  ^Tfi"f'*aliy  imaginfd  hr-io,  tliat 
the  niildiit'SH  of  tlie  Miigiish  Government  wouM  by  dogrt'<;is 
have  hxed  them  in  our  interest,  no  violent  measures  have 
ever  been  taken  with  them.  But  this  lenity  has  not  had  tiie 
least  "ood  effect;  on  the  contrary,  I  believe  they  hav»  at 
present  laid  aside  all  thoiij^lits  oi"  taking  the  oiitlis  vohuila- 
rily,  and  great  numbers  of  tliom  are  at  pros(;nt  ;^oiie  t^ 
Beaubejour  to  work  for  the  French,  in  order  to  t.iii£u  out  tb« 


i:'. 


i 

! 


'<}• 


j( 


!:| 


j^- 


I 


iUh 


S    I 


i  !i 


176 


ACADTA 


water  at  the  settlement  the}-  were  going  to  make  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  not withstun diner  they  were 
refused  passes  which  they  applied  for  to  go  tiiilher.  And 
upon  their  compluiuing  they  could  get  no  work  of  the  Eng- 
lish, they  were  acquainted  that  as  many  as  would  come  to 
Halifax  should  be  employed,  though,  in  reality  I  had  no 
employment  for  them,  but  I  proposed  to  order  them  to 
widen  the  road  to  Shubeuacadia,  as  I  veiy  well  knew  if  I 
could  get  them  once  here  it  would  put  off  their  journey  to 
Beausejour,  and  would  be  no  expense  to  the  government,  a» 
I  was  sure  they  would  refuse  the  work  for  fear  of  disoblig 
ing  the  Indians.  But  as  they  did  not  come,  I  hare,  l»y  ad- 
vice of  the  Council,  issued  a  proclamation,  ordering  them 
to  return  forthwith  to  the  lands,  as  they  should  answer  the 
contrary  at  their  peril.  They  have  not  for  a  long  time 
brought  anything  to  our  markets,  bat  on  the  other  hand 
have  caiiied  everything  to  the  I'rench  and  Indians  whom 
they  have  always  assisted  with  provisions,  qiiiuters,  and  iu- 
tiliigence,  and  indeed  while  they  reniuin  without  taking  the 
oaths  to  his  Majesty  (which  they  wiU  never  do  till  they  are 
forced)  and  have  incendiary  French  priests  among  them, 
tiiere  are  no  hopes  of  amendment.  As  they  possess  the  Uifst 
and  largest  tracts  of  land  in  this  Province,  it  cannot  be  set- 
tled [by  the  English]  with  any  effect  while  they  reujuin  lU 
this  situuiion,  and  though  I  would  be  very  far  from  atLeniit- 
ing  such  a  htep  without  your  Lordship's  approbation,  yet  I 
cannot  help  being  of  opinion  tliat  it  would  be  much  better, 
if  they  reiuso  the  oailis,  that  they  were  away. 

"The  only  ill  consequence  that  can  attend  their  going, 
would  be  tneir  tailing  arms  and  jouiing  with  the  Indians  to 
distress  our  seitienjeuLS,  as  tiiey  are  numeiuus  and  our 
troops  m.idi  divided;  though  indeed  I  believe  that  a  very 
large  part  oi  the  inliabitunts  would  submit  to  any  terms 
latlier  than  laUe  up  arms  on  either  side ;  but  that  is  only 
my  conjectuie,  and  not  singly  to  be  depended  upon  m  so 
critical  a  tiicumstance.  iluuever  ii  yuur  Lordships  siiinild 
be  of  opinion  that  we  ai'e  not  sutHciently  estabiisii^d  to  take 
BO  iinpurtant  a  step,  we  could  prevent  many  incunviHK noes 
by  iuiilding  a  fort,  or  a  few  block-iiouses,  on  bhubenucaaia 
Itiver.  ... 

"The  Ciiignecto  inhabitants  have  repeated  their  applica- 
tion for  le-aumibsiou  to  their  lands,  but  were  acquainted  it 


PREtTMIWART  TO  PXPTTT,RIO» 


177 


were  uRelesa  to  think  of  it  without  an  nbRolute  compliance 
on  their  }^art.  I  was  privately  iiiforiiie<l  that  attlieir  seturn 
they  were  in  a  very  i.l  humor  with  La  Loutre,  and  with  the 
French  CtninianJ.uiit.  and  that  they  re})reHentt'd  totheui  tiie 
hardships  they  labored  under  in  not  being  suflfercd  to  accept 
the  proposals  of  the  English  in  a  remonstrance  that  I  am 
told  was  little  short  of  mutiny." 


The  above  letter  would  seem  to  be  a  fair  statement  of  the 
true  situation.  First,  the  French  were  in  possession  of  the 
richest  lands  and  the  English  could  not  settle  uniil  the 
French  were  driven  out ;  second,  it  was  feared  that  the 
French,  if  expelled,  would  join  the  enemies  of  the  country, 
and  endanger  the  English  colonies ;  and  Lawrence  admits  in 
the  concluding  paragraph,  that  the  French  Acadians  were 
well  disjioscd,  but  j)revented  from  swearing  allegiance  by 
the  threats  of  La  Loutre. 

The  following  is  among  the  documents  of  the  period  now 
under  consideration : 


li^ 


"The  bearers  hereof  beiiig  in  all  twenty-five  persons  are 
just  arrived  here  from  Louiabonig  from  whence  they  luade 
their  eKcape  to  avoid  starving.  Home  of  them  were  former- 
ly inlabilutits  of  this  country,  and  are  neariy  related  to  oul 
Labrador  ;  they  have  all  taken  the  oaths :  the  colonel  desues 
yoi:  would  treat  them  kindly,  order  tlum  to  be  victualled, 
to  have  tools  given  tiiem,  aud  land  laid  out  for  them  where 
you  shall  see  most  convenient.  \Vm.  Cotterell." 

On  the  17th  of  September,  Governor  Lawrence  issued  a 
proclamation,  forbidding  the  exportation  of  <^orn  from  the 
Province,  "under  a  penalty  of  tifty  pounds  and  a  forfeiture 
of  the  corn  so  shipped,  one  halt' to  the  informer,  Hie  other 
to  the  use  and  support  of  his  Majesty's  government." 

The  reasons  given  in  the  "order  book"  for  the  corn  act 
are,  tirt,t,  to  prevent  the  supplying  of  corn  to  the  Indiana 
and  their  abettors  who  reside  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bay 


w 


i  i. 


173 


ACADIA 


of  Fundy ;  and  second,  for  the  better  supply  of  the  Halifax 
market,  which  l)a(l  hitherto  been  ob'ifjed  to  furnish  itself 
fiom  other  colonies,  notwithstanding  the  great  quantities  of 
grain  produced  at  Minas,  Piziquid  and  Canard,  and  which 
baa  hitherto  been  transported  to  Beausejour  and  St.  John's 
river.  The  inhabitants  were  not  "constrained  to  sell  to 
atiy  I'.articular  person  or  at  any  iixed  price ;  all  that  is  insist- 
ed on  is  their  supplying  the  Halifax  market  before  they  think 
0.'  sending  corn  anywhere  else.  Their  desiring  to  sell  their 
giain  to  Mr.  Dyson  and  refusing  it  to  Mr.  Mauger  for  the 
saino  money  appears  very  extraordinary." 

This  statement  does  not  fully  accord  with  the  instructions 
of  Governor  Lawrence  to  Cap'.ain  IMurray  ; — "You  are  not 
to  bargain  with  this  people  for  their  payment,  but  furnish 
them  with  certilicates,  which  will  entitle  them  at  Halifax  to 
r<  ceive  such  payments  as  shall  be  thought  reasonable,  and 
assuring  them  if  they  do  not  immediately  coDiply,  tha  ne  :t 
courier  will  bring  an  order  for  their  execution."  Murray  is 
the  same  who  complained  of  the  insolence  and  want  of  re- 
spect shown  towards  him  by  the  French  messengers  who 
waited  upon  him.  He  v.as  in  command  of  a  handful  of 
men  at  Fort  Fidwavd  (now  Windsor),  and  like  other  up- 
start despots,  laboring  under  un  abi  ling  sen.-e  of  his  own 
hnportiince,  clothed  with  absolute  authority  over  life  and 
property,  and  secure  in  the  fact  that  French  evidence  would 
cot  be  received  against  him,  he  was  not  likely  to  bo  at  a  luss 
for  a  pretext  to  display  his  authority. 

Trouble  having  aiisen  at  Fort  Edward,  Piziquid,  the  in- 
habitants having  refused  to  bring  wood  to  tao  I'ort,  Captain 
Murray,  in  connnand  of  the  English  force  there,  took  Dau- 
din, a  priest  and  four  other  prisoners,  and  sent  them  un-ier 
guard  to  Halifax.  Daudin,  who  was  charged  with  being  the 
cause  of  the  trouble,  "having  created  much  discontent 
among  the  inhabitants,  those  who  were  very  quiet  and  obe- 
dient in  his  absence,"  was  ordered  to  leave  the  country; 


PRELIMINAIIV  TO  EXPTTT.SrON 


179 


while  the  other  FrenchTuen  "wore  severely  reprimandeil  and 
exhorted  to  return  im mediately  and  biin;;;  in  the  wood  as 
had  been  ordered,  whic-h  duty  if  they  np;:lecLed  any  longer 
to  perform  they  would  eertnin'y  sufter  military  execution." 

Eaily  in  October  of  that  year,  the  Governor  acquainted 
the  Council  that  six  Deserted  French  families  were  arrived 
at  Halifax,  and  desired  to  be  permiited  to  return  to  their 
lauds.  They  deciared  that  they  were  so  terrilied  by  the 
threats  that  La  Loutre  had  used,  and  his  declaring  the  great 
distresses  they  would  be  reduced  to  if  they  remained  un- 
der the  dominion  of  the  English,  that  thev  retired  and  had 
been  set  down  on  the  Island  of  Cape  Brttun,  where  they 
had  remained  ever  since ;  but  that  the  land  being  so  very 
bad  they  were  utterly  incapable  of  supporting  their  families, 
and  had  obtained  consent  of  the  Govt'rnor  of  Louinbourg  to 
return.  Thty  lurther  declared  that  if  the  Council  would 
permit  them  to  enjoy  their  former  lauds,  that  tliey  were  will- 
ing to  take  the  oaiii,  and  that  tueir  future  behavior  should 
be  unexceptionable. 

The  Council  were  of  opinion  that  the  return  of  these  De- 
serted French  families,  and  their  voluntarily  tiildng  the  oath 
without  any  reservation,  would  have  a  good  eflVct;  they 
therefore  granted  them  permission  to  return  to  their  pos- 
sessions, and  allowed  the  most  needy  among  them  provis- 
ions for  the  winter. 

Thomas  Pichon,  a  young  medical  student  of  ^Marseilles, 
was,  Kubseijuent  to  1753,  a  commissary  of  stores  for  the 
French  forces  at  Deausejour.  He  furnished  the  English 
with  all  possible  information  of  the  priest  La  Loutre,  and 
the  state  of  the  garrison  at  Beausejour,  until  the  fall  of  tiiat 
place  in  1755.  Pichon  was  ostensibly  made  prisoner  with 
the  rest  of  the  garrison ;  when  apparently  on  parole  at  Hal- 
ifax, he  made  intimacy  with  the  French  officers  of  rank  de- 
tained there,  and  reported  their  plans  and  conversations  to 
the  Halifax  government,  for  which  information  he  was  paid. 


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'IIS'-' 


lu  1758  he  went  to  London,  where  he  resided  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death.  We  give  a  portion  of  a  communication  from 
him  to  Captain  Scott : 

"  Daudin's  affair  is  causing  a  good  deal  of  noise.  On  Sun- 
day iloses  *  preached  a  most  violent  sermon,  in  which  he 
singalai.y  acooumiodated  the  British  nation,  and  concluded 
by  saying  ofiensive  things  to  the  refugees,  whose  crimes  are, 
in  his  estimation,  the  sole  cause  of  the  detention  of  a  holy 
man.  He  afterwards  rei:!resented  to  them  what  thev — the 
refugees — had  to  expect  from  the  English.  That  when  they 
retvii-n  to  the  other  side,  they  will  have  neither  priests  nor 
sacraments,  but  will  die  like  miserable  wretches.  The  ve- 
heriience,  or  rather  the  petulance  with  which  he  preached, 
exhausted  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  had  to  go  at  it  twice. 
He  then  told  those  refugees  to  appear,  after  mass,  at  the 
Commandant's,  who  had  a  letter  from  the  General  of  Cana- 
da lor  them.  The  refugees  did  not  come,  however.  De 
Vergor,  (the  Commandant  at  Fort  Beausejour,)  sent  a  ser- 
geant twice  to  summon  them  ;  a  score  of  them  airivedin  the 
fort.  As  they  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  enter,  the  impatient 
commander  went  to  his  door  and  called  them  himself,  and  iu 
order  to  indiv'.e  them  to  enter  more  rapidly,  he  threatened 
to  put  them  iu  irons,  and  spoke  to  them  in  the  harshest 
manner. 

"The  tendency  of  the  letter  is  to  urge  them  to  stay  with 
the  French  and  to  establish  themselves.  It  promises  them 
various  assistance.  This  letter,  as  you  can  well  imagine, 
had  been  prepared  at  the  instance  of  Moses  himself.  These 
poor  people  retired  without  compliment.  Moses  was  pres- 
ent and  played  the  part  of  Aaron — he  was  spokesman.  De 
Vergor  stutters.   .   .   . 

"  On  the  21st  of  last  month,  eighty-three  of  the  refugees 
sent  two  of  their  deputies  to  carry  their  petition  to  the  Gov- 


*Ficbon  speaks  of  La  Lontre  always  by  the  name  of  Moses. 


PRELIMINA'Ky  TO  EXI>nT-flTO» 


181 


«ernciT  of  Canada,  asking  for  authority  to  return  to  their  old 
possessions,  since  we  cannot  give  theiu  land  on  this  side 
suitable  for  cultivation ;  and  stating  that  thosG  which  are 
offered  thein  are  in  places  disputed  by  tho  English ; — that 
they  are  not  released  from  the  oath  win*  h  tbej  have  taken 
to  the  King  of  Great  Britain;  and  that  it'  taken  among  the 
French,  they  are  threatened  with  being  punisned  as  crimi- 
nals. ,  .  ,  In  the  meantime,  Moses  declared  at  the  alta",  to 
the  lefugees  who  signed  the  request,  that  if  they  did  not 
come  to  his  house  and  retract  what  they  had  done,  and  ef- 
face their  marks  with  their  spittle,  they  should  hav«  uo  par- 
adise to  look  forward  to,  nor  sacraments  to  go  to.  There 
are  several  who  have  not  dared  to  refuse  acquiescence  in 
such  strong  axd  powerful  reasons." 

Pichon  craftiiy  observes  of  the  above  letter  that  some  of 
the  French  complain  the  Engiish  know  what  is  going  on  at 
Port  Beausejou) — little  surmising  that  he,  their  trusted  sec- 
retary, is  the  ini'ormant. 

It  will  be  seen  to  Avhat  extremities  the  poor  refugees  were 
reduced.  On  one  hand  threatened  with  the  vengeance  of 
the  savages,  and  denied  the  sacraments  and  liopes  of  future 
bliss  in  case  they  returned  into  English  territory ;  on  the  oth- 
er, the  absoiute  certainty  of.  being  executed  as  traitors  if 
found  with  the  French  in  case  of  declaration  of  war  between 
France  and  England. 

We  append  a  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Cobequid  to 
those  of  Beaubassin,  which  is  among  the  papers  furnished 
by  Pichon: 

"While  we  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  peace,  Lieut.  Gorhara 
came  with  sixty  men  to  John  liobert's.  He  came  stv-akiuiy 
and  at  night,  and  carried  off  our  pastor  and  lour  deputies. 
He  read  his  instructions,  by  whicu  he  is  ordered  to  seize  up- 
on all  the  guns  found  in  our  hou&es,  and  coufcequentiy  to 
reduce  us  to  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  the  Irish.  Gor- 
ham  has  relurued  to  John  iiobert's.  irle  nas  pitcued  iiis 
camp  tiieru,  and  expects  iaa  biother  witu  u  uunuied  lueu. 


I  ! 

3    ! 


1 


I 


IS2 


ACASM 


"He  is  prpparipg-  to  establish  there  a  bloclr-honse  and  a 
small  fort,  in  order  to  obstruct  the  roads  ami  prevent  the 
depai  ture  of  the  inhabitants.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
English,  early  in  the  spring",  will  place  vessels  to  guard  the 
passage  of  tbe  entrance.  Thus  we  see  ourselves^  on  the  very 
brink  of  ruin,  exposed  to  be  c<xv  led  off,  and  ti'ansported  to- 
the  English  islands,  and  to  lose  our  religion. 

"  Under  thot^e  unhappy  circumstances,  we  have  recourse 
to  your  charity;  and  we  earnestly  ask  you  to  assist  us  in 
getting  out  of  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  in  withdraw- 
ing ourselves  to  French  territory,  where  we  can  enjoy  the 
exercise  of  our  reiigion.  We  ask  you  to  strike  a  blow  ;  and 
af t  -r  we  have  driven  Gorham  from  our  parish,  we  will  all 
go  for  GUI'  brothers  at  Fiziquid,  Grand  Pie  and  Port  Roval, 
who  will  join  us  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  theruselver 
from  the  slavery  with  which  they  are  threatened.  V^e  do 
not  seek  to  make  war.  If  the  country  belongs  to  the  Eng- 
lish, we  will  give  it  up  to  them ;.  but  as  we  are  the  masters 
of  our  own  persons,  we  wish  absolutely  to  leave  it. 

"It  is  your  brothers  who  ask  you  for  help;^  and  we  think 
that  the  charity,  religion,  and  union  that  have  always  exist- 
ed between  us,  will  constrain  vou  to  come  and  rescue  us. 
We  are  waiting  for  you ;  3-011  know  that  the  time  iS'  hurry- 
ing on,  and  vv-e  beg  you  to  send  us  a  prompt  rep^y. 

"  This  is  what  I  have  been  requested  to  wiite  to  you,  gen- 
tlemen, in  faith  of  which  I  have  signed  the  present  peiition. 

"J.  li.  La,  Lootre." 

Among  Pichon's  papers  is  also  a  petition  of  the  Acadian 
inhabitants  to  the  King  of  France,  impioi'ing  his  protection, 
stating  their  grievances  against  the  English  government, 
and  asking  grants  of  Frencii  territory  adjoining  Acadia. 

The  Lords  of  Trade  wrote  to  Governor  Lawrence  under 
date  of  October,  1754  ;  they  say:  "As  to  the  inhabitants  of 
the  district  of  Chignecto,  who  are  actually  gone  over  to  the 
Fren:;h  at  Beausejour,  if  the  Chief  Justice  should  be  of  opin- 
ion that  by  refusing  to  take  the  oaths  without  a  reserve,  or 
by  deserting  then*  settlements  to  join  the  French,  they  have 
forfeited  then-  title  to  their  lands,  we  could  wisii  that  prop- 
er measures  were  pursued  for  cai'rying  such  forfeiture  into 


PRELraiNARY  TO  EXPULSION 


188 


€xecution  by  legal  process,  to  the  enci  you  might  grant  them 
to  any  persons  desirous  of  settling  there,  where  we  appre- 
Lend  a  settlement  would  be  of  gieat  utility,  if  it  cuuid,  in 
the  present  state  of  things,  be  elTected;  and  as  Mr.  Shirley  * 
has  hinted  in  a  letter  to  the  Earl  of  Hali.'ax  that  there  is  a 
probability  of  getting  a  considerable  number  Oi  people  from 
New  England  to  settle,  you  would  do  well  to  consult  him 
upon  it;  but  it  apjiears  to  us  that  every  idea  of  an  Eng  ish 
settlfment  at  this  place  would  bo  absurd,  but  upon  a  suppo- 
sition that  the  Fiench  forts  Beausejour,  Bay  Verte,  &(•.,  ..re 
destroj-ed,  the  Indians  forced  from  'hen-  settlements,  and 
the  French  driven  to  seek  such  an  asylum  as  they  can  tlnd 
in  the  barren  islands  of  Cape  Breton  and  St.  John,  and  in 
Canada." 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  documentary  proof  that  the 
Lords  of  Trade,  the  Governor  of  Acadia  and  the  Governor 
of  Massachusetts,  were  discussing  the  feasibility  of  dispos- 
sessing the  French  Acadians  of  their  valuable  lands,  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  settling  English  colonists  thereon. 
This  is  in  the  face  of  the  assertion  of  some  historians  i'  t 
no  such  motive  was  entertained  by  those  who  took  par^  m 
the  rei'ioval  of  the  French. f 

We  have  before  adverted  to  the  character  of  Abbe  La 


'  I 


*  Governor  Sliirley  of  Ma&sachusetts. 


fHaimay,  in  his  work  on  Acadia,  saj's :  "French  writers  say  tho  Aca- 
dians were  exijelled  because  the  greedy  Enghsh  colonists  looked  upon 
t'leir  fair  farms  with  oovetotis  eyes,  and  that  the  govei-unient  was  iudu- 
euced  by  these  persons.  A  more  tiagrant  untrath  never  was  told.  The 
anxiety  of  the  government  that  the  Acadians  should  remain  on  their  lands 
and  become  good  subjects  was  extreme.  To  effect  these  objects  the  gov- 
ernment consented  to  liumiliations  and  concessions  which  only  increased 
the  aiTogance  of  the  Acadians.  Even  after  the  fall  of  Beausejour  they 
might  have  remained  on  their  lands  without  molestation,  if  they  had  but 
GDUseuted  to  take  an  unconditional  Oath  of  Allegiance  to  the  i:<ritish 
Crown." 


184 


ACADTA 


Loutre; — we  append  the  follo.ving  altlitional  testimony 
from  no  less  an  authority  than  the  Bishop  of  Quebec.  Thiit 
high  church  dignitary  wrote  La  Loutre  the  following  caus- 
tic letter : 


m 


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.<- 


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H' 


v'-*^ 


.\'' 


o 


so 


•'  You  have  at  last,  my  dear  sir,  got  into  the  very  trouble 
which  I  forepa  .V,  and  which  I  predicted  not  Jong  ago.  The 
refugees  could  not  fail  to  get  into  trouble  sooner  or  ^a'eiv 
nnd  to  clmrge  you  with  being  the  cause  of  their  misfortunes. 
It  will  be  the  same  with  those  of  the  Island  of  St.  John 
whenever  the  war  breaks  out.  They  will  be  exposed  to  the 
English,  ravaged  without  ceasing^  and  will  throw  the  b'.aMie 
tipon  you.  The  court  thought  it  necessary  to  faci'ltate  Iheir 
de[  arture  from  their  lands,  but  that  is  not  the  concevn  of 
our  profession.  It  was  my  opinion  that  we  should  neither 
say  anything  against  the  course  pvn'sued,  nor  anything  to 
induce  it.  I  reminded  you,  a  long  time  ago,  that  a  priest 
ought  not  to  meddle  with  temporal  afTairs,  and  that  if  he 
did  so,  he  would  always  create  enemies^  and  cause  hia  peo- 
ple to  be  discontented 

"  I  am  now  persuaded  that  the  General  and  all  France 
will  not  approve  of  the  return  of  the  refugees  to  their  lands. 
.  .  .  But  IS  it  right  for  you  to  refuie  the  eacruments,  to 
threaten  thnt  they  shall  be  deprived  of  the  services  of  a 
pritst,  and  that  the  savages  shall  treat  them  as  enemips? 
I  wif-h  them  conscientiously  to  abandon  the  lands  they  pos- 
sessed under  Eugjish  rule ;  but  is  it  well  proved  that  they 
cannot  conscientiously  return  to  them,  seeluso  perversionis 
periclof' 

"On  the  northern  bank  of  the  Misseguash,  less  than  a 
mile  from  the  river,  which  now  forms  the  boundary  of  two 
Provinces,  the  Intercolonial  Railway  winds  around  a  remark- 
able hill,  which  rising  suddenly  from  the  maicjh,  runs  back 
in  a  high  narrow  ridge  towards  the  northeast.  The  traveler, 
CIS  he  gazes  listlessly  at  the  landscape,  suddenly  has  his  at- 
tention fi.Kfid  by  the  sight  of  a  ruined  magazine,  and  the  ram- 
parts and  embrasures  of  an  ancient  fortress,  and  turns  to 
V.  bis  guide  bock  'to  ditioovor  what  this  may  be.    These  wast- 


PREI.IMTNAfey  TO  EXPtTT-StON 


18S 


ing  battlements,  which  now  seem  so  much  out  of  p'ace  in 
the  midst  of  a  quiet  pastoral  scene,  have  a  sadder  history 
than  almost  any  other  piece  of  ground  in  Acadia,  for  they 
represent  the  last  effort  of  France  to  hold  on  to  a  portion 
of  that  Province,  which  was  once  all  her  own,  which  she 
seemed  to  value  so  little  when  its  possession  was  secure,  yet 
which  she  fought  so  hard  to  save.  This  ruin  is  all  that 
remains  of  the  once  potent  and  dreaded  Beausejour."  * 

In  addition  thereto,  the  French  had  a  small  fort  at  Bay 
Verte,  on  the  Gulf  side  of  the  isthmus,  called  Fort  Gaspe- 
reau,  which  they  used  as  a  depot  for  supplies  coming  to 
Beausejour  from  Louisbourg  and  Quebec.  At  Pont  a  Buot, 
between  Forts  Gaspereau  and  Beausejour,  they  built  a  block- 
house, in  which  was  a  garrison  of  thirty  men ;  and  there  were 
guards  at  Shepody,  and  other  points  on  the  north  shore  of 
the  Bay  of  Fundy,  thus  making  a  complete  chain  of  fortifi- 
cations from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  River  St 
John,  where  was  a  detachment  of  eighty  men.  Beausejour 
could  thus  be  reinforced  either  by  way  of  St  John  oi'  the 
Gulf,  without  the  English  in  Acadia  having  any  knowledge 
of  it.  Here  La  Loutre  established  his  headquarters;  and 
it  was  here  that  he  committed  another  deed  which  added  to 
the  odium  with  which  he  was  regarded. 

The  soldiers  of  Beausejour  and  Lawrence,  the  two  hos- 
tile forts  on  either  side  of  the  -ilisseguash,  were  accustomed 
to  meet  between  the  two  with  flags  of  truce,  when  one  de- 
sired to  communicate  with  the  other.  La  Loiitre  dressed 
an  Indian  in  French  uniform,  and  sent  him  witii  a  white  flag 
in  the  direction  of  Fort  Lawrence.  The  flag  was  noticed, 
and  Captain  How  went  out  to  meet  it.  When  he  had  near- 
ly reached  the  pretended  French  officer,  a  party  of  Indians 
who  had  been  lying  in  ambush  fired  a  volley  directiy  at 
How,  killing  him  instantly.     Gornwallis  characterized  this 

•Hamiay. 


IJIil 


) 


f 


'i;- 


i     VH 


fi  i<| 


I". 

|i  '■ti 


a-'MutuueBcasc 


1S6 


ACADIA 


.,:!  ; 


as  "an  instance  of  treaclieiy  and  barbarity  not  paralleled 
iu  history." 

Diiriug  this  time  the  English  were  excessively  anv.oyed 
by  the  attacks  of  the  Indians  of  the  Peninsula,  who  fell  up- 
on tlie  inhul  itants  in  the  night,  or  surprised  small  parties 
of  the  settlers  who  had  ventured  too  far  from  the  fort.s. — 
This  checked  the  settlement  of  the  country  by  making  it 
impossible  for  the  settler  to  strike  out  into  the  wildevnesa. 
and  make  a  home  for  himself.  As  it  was  generally  believed 
the  savages  were  prompted  by  French  emissaries,  the  court 
of  France  was  apprised  of  the  condition  of  afTuirs.  That 
p  wer,  not  yet  being  in  a  position  for  open  rupture,  prom- 
ised to  send  positive  orders  to  the  Governor  of  Canada,  to 
prevent  all  causes  of  complaint  for  the  future, — a  promise, 
which,  if  the  French  court  fulfilled,  was  not  as  fully  obeyed. 
At  the  same  time,  supplies  of  men  and  military  stores  were 
being  sent  to  Louisbourg,  and  to  Quebec,  until  both  places 
became  a  source  of  alarm  to  the  English. 

One  of  the  early  laws  of  the  Halifax  Government  was  to 
the  effect  that  no  debts  contracted  in  England,  or  in  any  of 
the  colonies,  prior  to  the  settlement  of  Halifax,  or  to  the 
arrival  of  the  debtor,  should  be  I'ecoverable  in  any  court  of 
judicature  in  the  Province.  The  design  was  to  attract  emi- 
grants ;  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  dishonest  sought 
this  asylum  for  insolvent  debtors  ae  well  as  the  unfor- 
tunate. That  the  grade  of  public  morality  was  none  of  the 
highest,  is  shown  by  a  very  exti'aordinary  order  of  Govern- 
or Cornwallis,  which,  after  reciting  that  the  dead  were  fol- 
lowed to  the  grave  by  neither  relatives,  friends,  nor  neigh- 
bors, and  that  it  was  difficult  to  procure  the  assistance  even 
of  "  carriers,"  directed  the  Justices  of  the  Peace,  upon  the 
death  of  a  settler,  to  summon  twelve  persons  from  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  last  place  of  abode  of  deceased,  to  attend  the 
funeral  and  carry  his  corpse  to  the  grave ;  and  as  a  penalty. 
for  not  complying  with  the  orders,  diiections  were  given  tq 


PRELIMINARY  TO  KXPOLSION 


187 


strike  out  the  name  of  any  delinquent  from  the  mess  books 
of  the  place,  and  to  withdraw  from  him  the  allowance  and 
Bupport  of  the  Government. 

The  year  1755  was  memorable  in  events  on  the  American 
Continent.  No  less  than  four  grand  expeditions  were  plan- 
ned against  the  French  by  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonists 
in  America.  The  mai'ch  of  General  Braddock  on  Fort  Du 
Quesne,  and  its  sanguinary  defeat,  is  familiar  in  its  details 
to  every  school-boy.  A  second  was  organized  to  proceed 
against  Fort  Niagara,  composed  of  Colonial  Kegulai  s  and 
Indians,  but  which  got  no  farther  than  Oswego,  owing  to  a 
delay  in  starting :  the  attempt  against  Niagara  went  no  far- 
ther that  year.  A  third  expedition  against  Crown  Point  by 
the  Provincials  inflicted  a  bloody  defeat  on  the  French  un- 
der Dieskau,  but  failed  to  attain  the  object  for  which  it  was 
p.aeed  in  the  field.  But  the  fourth,  the  expedition  against 
Acadia,  succeeded  only  too  well.  This  incursion,  aided  and 
abetted,  and  paid  for  by  England,  consummated  by  New 
England  troops,  under  a  Massachusetts  commander  bred 
in  a  Puritan  atmosphere,  in  the  name  of  religion,  was  con- 
ducted in  so  hpavtless  a  manner,  that  as  though  by  common 
consent,  the  reports  of  details  have  been  purposely  destroyed, 
and  historians  have  passed  over  it  with  only  an  allusion,  as 
if  unable  to  record  the  shame  of  the  transaction. 


t  1 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENOH  NEUTUALS. 


|.,! 


We  open  the  chapter  by  allowing  this  simple  people  to  tell 
the  sto)  y  of  their  suffering  and  wrongs  in  the  following  me- 
morial to  Go/ernor  Lawrence,  under  date  of  June  lOtli, 
175'),  previous  to  the  fall  of  Beausejour,  and  other  Fiench 
revMses  on  tlie  Peijinsula.  We  mention  this,  as  otherwise 
it  might  be  s-aid  they  were  disheartened,  and  came  to  sue 
for  peace  only  after  having  lost  all  hops.  We  ask  the  can- 
did reader  to  peruse  the  document  carefully,  a  id  to  judge 
for  himself  whether  the  strictures  put  upon  it  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council  are  just,  or  otherwise. 


it  ^ 

ii  ill 


"We,  the  iiiliabitants  of  Minas,  Piziquid,  and  the  River 
Canard,  take  the  ubei  ty  of  approaching  your  Excellency  lor 
the  piu'pose  of  testifying  our  sense  of  the  care  which  the 
Govfri  nnient  exercises  over  us.  It  aj  pears,  Sir,  that  your 
Excel  eiicy  doubls  the  sincerity  with  which  we  have  prom- 
ised to  be  faithful  to  his  Britannic  Majesty. 

"  We  most  imnibly  beg  your  Excellency  to  consider  our 
past  conduct.  You  will  see,  that,  very  far  from  violating 
the  oath  we  have  taken,  we  have  maintained  it  in  its  entire- 
ty, in  spite  of  the  solicitations  and  the  dreadful  threats  of 
another  ijovver.  We  still  entertain,  Sir,  the  same  pure  and 
sinceit^  disposition  to  prove,  under  any  circumstances,  our 
unsl  akeu  fidelity  to  his  Majesty,  provided  tlmt  his  Majesty 
shall  allow  us  the  same  liberty  that  he  has  granted  us. — • 
We  earnestly  beg  your  Excellency  to  have  the  goodness  to 
inform  us  of  his  Majesty's  intentions  on  this  subject,  and 
to  ^ive  us  assurances  on  his  jpai't. 


!  ';/ 


ixpxn.fnos  or  rm  fuesch  !^F.UTR\La 


189 


"Pemiit  us,  if  you  plf-asp.  Sir,  to  maVo  known  theannoy- 
inff  cirounifitaiices  in  which  ue  are  p^acerl,  to  the  prejudice 
of  the  tranquillity  we  on;.'ht  to  enjoy.  Under  pretext  that 
we  are  transportinfj  our  corn  and  provisions  to  Beausejour 
and  the  River  St.  John,  we  are  no  longrer  permitted  to  car- 
ry the  least  quantity  of  com  by  water  from  one  place  to  an- 
other. "NVe  be^'  your  Excellency  to  be  assured  that  wo  nev- 
er transported  provisions  to  Eeanscjour.  or  to  the  Rivev  St. 
John.  If  some  refnj:ee  inhabitants  at  this  point  have  been 
seized,  with  cattle,  we  are  not  on  that  account,  by  any  nieana 
pinlty,  inasmuch  as  the  catt'.e  belonged  to  them  as  pi  ivato 
in(^'viuuals.  and  they  were  «liiving  them  to  their  reaper  tiva 
habitations.  As  to  ourselve?.  Sir,  we  have  never  oifnnded  ia 
that  respect;  consequently  we  ouprht  not,  in  our  opinion,  to 
be  \  uiiished;  on  the  coctiary,  we  hope  that  your  Ex'icUency 
will  be  pleased  to  restore  to  us  the  same  liberty  that  wo  en- 
joyed formeny,  in  eiviiig  us  the  use  of  our  canoes,  either  to 
transport  our  provisions  from  one  river  to  tho  other,  or  for 
the  purpose  of  fi'^hing;  thereby  providing  for  our  liveihood. 
This  permission  has  never  ben  taken  from  us  except  at  the 
present  time.  We  hope.  Sir,  that  you  will  bo  plf  ased  to  re- 
store it,  especially  in  consideiation  of  the  number  of  poor 
inhabitants  wIjo  would  be  very  g'ad  to  suijport  their  fami- 
lies with  the  fish  that  they  would  be  able  to  catch.  More- 
over, our  guiiS,  which  we  rr gard  as  our  own  personal  prop- 
erty, have  been  taken  from  us,  notwithstanding  the  fact  they 
are  absolutely  necesfiary  to  us,  either  to  defend  our  cattie 
which  ai'e  attacked  by  wild  beasts,  or  for  the  protection  of 
our  children,  or  of  ouiselves.  Any  inhabitant  who  may 
have  his  oxen  in  the  woods,  and  who  may  need  them  for 
purposes  of  lab^r  would  not  dare  to  expose  himself  in  go- 
mg  lor  them  without  being  prepared  to  defend  himself. 

"It  is  certain.  Sir.  that  since  the  savages  have  ceased  fre- 
quenting our  parte,  the  wild  beasts  have  greatly  increaseil, 
and  that  our  cattle  are  devoured  by  them  almost  every  day. 
Besiues,  the  arms  wh:ch  have  been  tal:eu  from  us  are  but  a 
lei'b.e  guaiantee  of  our  fidelity.  It  is  not  the  gun  which  an 
iiiliabitant  poi-sesses  that  will  induce  him  to  revolt,  nor  the 
piivatiou  of  the  game  gun  that  will  make  him  more  faithful ; 
but  his  conscience  alone  must  induce  huu  to  maintain  hia 
oath.  An  order  has  app».ai>ii  iii  ^our  Excelleiicy'o  name, 
given  at  l^'oit  Edwai\i,  June  ItL,  1755,   n  the  LSth  year  ol 


t  ' 

i    ; 
i    i 


5  : 


r.     I 

r 


pp 


im 


ACAniA 


his  Alnjesty'fl  rpig'n,  by  which  we  are  commanrTcrT  to  carry 
miiiH.  pistoiH,  cV-'c.  to  Fort  Edward.  It  apjieiirs  to  un,  Sir^ 
tliat  it  would  be  daiigorons  ior  us  to  execute  tbatordt-r,  l;o- 
fore  ropres€>Titing  to  you  the  danp;cr  to  wliich  this  order  ex- 
poses us.  The  savages  may  come  and  thrcutcu  and  plunder 
us,  reproaching"  us  for  having  fui'nished  arms  to  kill  them. 
^Ve  hope,  Sir,  that  you  will  be  pleased,  on  the  contrary,  to 
order  that  those  taken  from  us  be  restored  tO'  us.  By  so 
doing,  you  will  afford  us  the  means  of  preserving  both  our- 
Bslves  and  our  cattle. 

"  In  the  last  place,  we  are  grieved.  Sir,  at  seeing  ourselves 
declared  guilty  without  being  aware  that  we  have  disobeyd. 
One  of  our  inhabitants  of  the  River  Canard,  named  Pierre 
Mehnifjcm,  was  seized  and  arrested  in  charge  o;'  his  boat, 
before  having  heard  any  order  forbidding  that  sort  of  trans- 
port. We  beg  your  Excellency,  on  this  subject,  to  have  the 
goodness  to  make  known  to  us  j-our  good  p.casure  bciure 
confiscating  our  property  and  considering  uaiii  fau.t.  This 
is  the  favor  wo  expect  from  your  Excellency's  kindness,  aiul 
wo  hope  that  you  will  do  us  the  justice  to  b  lieve  that  very 
tir  froju  violating  our  promises,  we  will  maintain  them,  as- 
BUiing  you  that  we  are  are  very  respectfully,  Ov.c. 

[Signed  by  twenly-five  of  said  Inhabitants.] 


' 


Also  a  second  memorial,  dated  June  24th,  containing  the 
fo'lowing:  "All  the  inhabitants  of  Minas,  Piziquid  aud  tlie 
Kiver  Canard,  beg  your  Excellenc}'  to  believe  that  if,  in  tlie 
petition  which  they  have  had  the  honor  to  present  to  your 
Excellency,  there  shall  be  found  any  error  or  want  of  neglect 
towards  the  government,  it  is  entirely  contrary  to  their  in- 
tention; and  that  in  this  case  the  inhabitants  who  have 
eignedit,  are  not  more  guilty  than  the  others." 

The  Council  voted  unanimously  ''Thu  he  memorial  of 
the  10th  of  June  is  highly  arrogant  and  insidious,  an  insult 
upon  his  JMajestN  's  authority,  and  government,  and  deserved 
the  highest  resentment,  and  that  if  the  Memorialists  had  not 
submitted  themselves  by  their  subsequent  memorial,  tiiey 
ought  to  have  been  severely  punished  for  their  presump- 
tion." 


IXPTJL8I0N  OF  THE  FRENCH  NKUTRALS 


lyi 


*'The  lafutonant-Govcrnof  ;\t  the  sumo  timo  at'quaintoil 
tlio  Council  Unit  Cupluiu  Munuy  liud  iiifoiiiieil  liiin  taut  fur 
some  time  beroie  ilie  uelivury  of  the  Ihst  of  the  «ai(i  uieino- 
rinls,  the  French  hud  beliaved  with  greater  submission  and 
obedience  to  the  orders  of  government  than  usual  anil  had 
already  delivered  to  him  a  considerable  number  of  thei;-  lire- 
arms;  but  that  at  the  delivery  of  the  said  memorial  they 
treated  him  with  gieat  iiidccency  and  insolence,  which  c;iive 
Lim  strong  tsuspicions  that  they  had  obtained  some  intelli- 
gence which  we  were  then  ignorant  of,  and  which  the  ijieu- 
teiiunt-Governor  conceived  might  mostprububly  be  a  re  port 
tl  iit  had  about  that  timo  been  spread  amoji^st.  them  of  a 
i'rench  fleet  being  then  in  the  Bay  ox  Fundy,  it  coing  very 
notorious  that  the  said  French  inhabitants  hav»»  utways  dis- 
covered an  insolent  and  inimical  disposit''^u  towards  his 
Majesty's  government  wlien  they  have  ha.  the  least  ''upe 
of  assistance  from  France." 

\»  auL  the  precise  character  of  this  "  great  v.  Iccency  and 
insolence"  of  behavior  was  which  the  delegates  showed 
towards  Captain  Murray,  we  are  not  informed.  As  tne  same 
charge  is  made  against  them  by  the  Council,  of  their  memonal 
of  the  10th  of  June,  (it  may  be  with  equal  justice,)  we  will 
lay  belore  the  reader  the  reasons  the  Council  gave  tor  such 
acL'usation.  It  appears  the  signers  of  the  document  had 
bi.'en  urdered  to  Halifax,  fifteen  of  whom  responded;  they 
were  brought  in  before  the  Council,  the  memorial  read  to 
them,  when  "they  were  severely  reprimanded  for  their  au- 
dacity in  subscribing  and  jiresenting  so  impertinent  a  pa- 
per." We  have  the  document  now  before  us,  and  can  our- 
selves judge  of  the  truthfulness  of  their  charge.  If  in  this 
instance  we  do  not  find  the  accusation  fully  sustained  by 
the  facts,  we  may  infer  that  the  charges  against  the  Neu- 
trals in  other  respects  are  equally  unfounded  on  fact.  How- 
ever we  will  let  the  council  pi'oceed  with  its  ovvu  justifica- 
tion.    "In  order   to  show  them  [the  Neutrals]  the  falsi- 


*  ' 


I  I 


' 


I    I 


t 


II 


I  l\ 


"i 


m 


192 


ACADIA 


ty  as  well  as  impudence  of  their  memorial,"'  it  was  ordered 
to  be  read  by  paragraph,  remarks  being  made  by  the  Lieu- 
tenant-GoTernor.  It  was  observed  in  answer  to  this  para- 
graph of  their  memorial  of  the  10th  of  June — 

**  That  they  were  affected  with  the  proceedings  of  the  Gov- 
ernment  toward  them,"^ 

that  they  had  been  always  treated  with  the  greatest  len- 
ity, hp.d  enjoyed  more  privileges  than  the  English  subjects, 
had  been  indulged  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion  with 
full  liberty  to  consult  their  priests,  had  beeu  protected  in 
their  trade  and  fishery,  and  had  been  for  many  j'ears  per- 
mitted to  possess  their  lands  (part  of  the  best  in  the  Prov- 
ince) although  they  had  not  yet  complied  with  the  terms  on 
which  the  lands  were  granted,  by  taking  the  Oath  of  Alle- 
giauce  to  the  Crown.  They  were  then  asked  whether  they 
could  produce  an  instance  that  any  privilege  was  denied  to 
tuem,  or  that  any  hardships  were  ever  imposed  upon  them 
by  the  Government.  "  They  acknowledged  the  justice  and 
lenity  of  the  Government."* 

"They  desire  that  their  past  conduct  might  be  considered." 

It  was  remarked  to  them  **that  their  past  conduct  was 
considered,  and  that  the  government  were  sorry  to  say  their 
conduct  had  beeu  undutif ul  and  very  ungrateful  for  the  len- 
ity shown  to  them.  That  they  had  no  returns  of  loyalty  to 
the  Crown,  or  respect  to  his  Majesty's  government  in  the 
Province.  That  they  had  discovered  a  constant  disposition 
to  assist  his  Majesty's  enemies,  and  to  distress  his  subjects. 
That  they  had  not  only  furnished  the  enemy  with  provi- 


*  That  tlie  French  deputies  were  actuated  by  fear  in  making  this  re- 
ply is  quite  evident  The  memorial  was  brought  for  the  expreased  pur- 
pose of  complaining  of  instances  **  where  privileges  were  denied  them." 


i: 


in 


EXPULSION  OP  THE  FRENCH  NEnTR»t.S 


193 


BioTis  and  ammnnition,  but  had.  refused  to  supply  the  inbab- 
itants,  or  government,  with  provisions,  and  when  they  did 
supply,  they  have  exacted  three  times  the  price  for  which 
tliey  were  sold  at  other  markets.  That  they  had  been  idle 
and  indolent  on  their  lands,  had  neglected  husbandry',  and 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  had  been  of  no  use  to  the 
Province  either  in  Husbandry,  trade  or  fishery,  but  had 
been  rather  an  obstruction  to  the  King's  intentions  in  the 
settlement."  They  were  then  asked  whether  they  could 
mention  a  single  instance  of  service  to  the  government,  *'  to 
which  they  were  incapable  of  making  any  reply." 
Upon  reading  this  paragraph, — 

**It  seems  that  your  Excellency  is  doubtful  of  the  sincerity 
of  those  who  have  promised  fidelity,  that  they  had  beon 
so  far  from  breaking  their  oatU,  that  they  had  kept  it  in 
spite  of  terrifying  menaces  from  another  power," 


^>l 


they  wei'e  asked  "Wliat  gave  them  occasion  to  suppose 
that  the  government  was  doubtful  of  their  sincerity?"*  and 
were  told  that  "it  argued  a  consciousness  in  them  of  iiism- 
cerity  and  want  of  attachment  to  tiie  interests  of  his  Majes- 
ty and  his  government.  That  as  to  their  taking  arms,  tiiey 
[the  Frencli]  had  often  argued  that  the  Indians  would  an- 
noy them  if  they  did  not  assist  them,  and  that  by  taking 
their  arms  by  act  of  Government,  it  was  put  out  of  the  pow- 
er of  the  Indians  to  threaten  or  force  them  to  their  assist- 
ance. That  they  had  assisted  the  King's  enemies,  and  ap- 
peared too  ready  to  join  with  another  power  t  contraiy  to 


'  As  if  the  taking  away  of  their  arms,  and  depriving  them  of  their  ca- 
oois  wiis  cot  a  sul&cieut  reason. 

t  At  the  time  of  the  French  occupation  of  Minas  in  1744,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  that  place  meu:oiiiiliijed  a  Cnptain  of  iufainry  iii  r  Du  Vivioi 
to  this  effect:  "  We  live  under  a  mild  and  traucjml  gov.  nme  .t.  and  we 
Lave  all  good  reasou  to  be  faithful  to  it.     We  hope,  theiefore,  that  jou 


;   i  . 


ff 


194 


ACAUIA 


tlie  allegiance  the)'  wave  bound  by  their  oath  to  his  Majesty." 
In  answer  to  this  ptxragiaph, — 

"We  are  now  in  the  same  disposition,  the  purest  and  sin- 
reiest,  to  prove  in  every  circumstance,  lideUty  to  his 
Majesty,  in  the  sane  manner  that  we  have  dojie,  provid- 
ed that  ii.s  Majesty  will  leave  us  the  same  liberties  which 
lie  has  granted  us." 

thoy  were  told  that  "it  was  hoped  they  would  hereafter  give 
proofs  of  more  sincere  and  pure  dispositions  of  mind,  in  the 
practice  of  fidelity  to  his  ]\rajesty,  and  tbat  they  would  for- 
l.-car  to  act  in  the  manner  they  have  done,  in  obstructing  the 
settuement  of  the  Province,  bv  assisting  the  Indians  and 
French  to  the  distress  and  annoyance  of  many  of  his  Maj- 
esty's subjects;  and  to  the  loss  of  the  lives  of  several  of  the 
Kngiish  inhabitants.  That  it  was  not  the  language  of  Brit- 
ish subjects  to  talk  of  terms  with  the  Crown,  to  capitulate 
about  their  fidelity  and  allegiance,  and  that  it  was  insolent 
to  insert  a  pru!;iso.  tliat  tiiey  would  prove  their  fidelity, 
f<i'(>rided  that  his  Majesty  would  give  them  liberties.  All 
his  Majesty's  subjects  are  protected  in  the  enjoyment  of  ev- 
ory  liberty  while  they  continue  loyal  and  faithful  to  the 
Crown ;  and  wlien  they  become  false  and  disloyal  they  for- 
feit that  protection." 

They  were  told  in  answer  to  the  paragraph  where 

"  Tl.i.ey  desire  their  canoes  for  carrying  their  piovisions  from 
one  river  to  another,  and  for  theix-  fishery," 

will  hivve  the  goodness  not  to  separate  us  from  it. "  Governor  Mnscarene 
Hcknowledged  to  Governor  Shirley,  of  Miussiichusetts,  ilisit  the  safety  of 
Aiiu;ii)ohs  diu'in<;  Du  Vivier's  attempt  at  the  reduction  of  that  plaee  in 
17'11,  was  in  great  measure  owiu^'  to  tiie  "Franch  inhabitants  ref  iisiu;,' to 
take  up  arms  against  us. "  These  assertions  do  not  accord  well  witli  the 
(loclaration  of  Governor  Lawrence.  This,  too,  was  during  the  time  of  a 
French  invasion  of  the  territory,  a  circumstance  which  would  be  likely  to 
fan  into  flame  the  least  spark  of  a  spirit  of  iuooriectiot^,  bud  such  been 
{guud  ill  the  hearts  of  the  I'reucb  Meutrals. 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NKUTBALS 


195 


I  ! 


lor- 


that  "tlif'v  wanted  thfir  canoes  for  carrying  provisions  to 
the  enemj',  and  not  for  their  own  use  in  the  fishery ;  that, 
Ly  !i  ]a\v  of  this  Province,  all  persons  are  restrained  from 
cavrj'ing  provisions  from  one  port  to  another,  and  every  ves- 
sel, canoo  or  bark  found  with  provisions  is  forfeited,  and  a 
penalty  is  inflicted  on  the  owners." 
Thoy  were  told  in  answer  to  the  following  paragraph. 

"  They  petition  for  their  guns  as  part  of  their  goods,  that 
tliev  raav  be  restored  to  defend  their  cattle  from  wild 
beasts,  and  to  preserve  themselves  and  their  children, 
that  since  the  Indians  have  quitted  theu'  quarters,  the 
wild  beasts  are  greatly  increased," 

that  "  guns  are  no  part  of  their  goods,  as  they  have  no  right 
to  keep  arms,  and  they  are  subject  to  penalties  if  arms  are 
fonnd  in  their  houses.  That  upon  the  order  from  Captam 
Mu]  ray,  many  of  the  inhabitants  volunlavily  brought  in  tlieir 
anus,  and  none  of  them  pretended  that  they  wanted  them 
for  the  defense  of  theii"  cattle  against  the  wild  beasts,  and 
that  the  wild  beasts  had  not  incieased  since  their  arms  were 
surrendered.  That  they  had  some  secret  inducement,  at 
that  time,  for  presuming  to  demand  their  arms  as  a  part  of 
their  goods  and  their  right,  and  that  thoy  had  flattered 
themselves  of  being  supported  in  their  insolence  to  the  Gov- 
ernment, on  u  report  that  some  French  ships  of  war  were 
in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  That  this  daring  attempt  plamly  dis- 
covered the  falsehoods  of  theu"  professions  of  fidelity  to  the 
King,  and  their  readiness  has  been  visible  upon  every  inti- 
mation of  force  or  assistance  from  France,  to  insult  his  Muj- 
csty's  Government,  and  to  join  with  his  enemies,  contrary 
to  their  oath  of  fidelity." 

Upon  reading  this  paragraph, — 

"Besides,  the  arms  we  carry  are  a  feeble  surety  of  our  fidel- 
ity. It  is  not  the  gun  that  an  inhabitant  po-sesses  which 
wUl  lead  him  to  levoit,  nor  the  Llepr.,vi>.g  him  of  tuat 


ii 


»  : 


n 


i  M 


■;1 

;■ 

f 


I 


196 


AOADU 


gun  that  will  make  him  more  faithf  u^  but  bis  conscience 
alone  ought  to  eugagu  him  to  maintain  his  oath," 

they  were  asked,  ""What  excuse  they  could  make  for  their 
presumption  in  this  paragraph,  and  treating  the  govern- 
ment with  such  indignity  and  contempt  as  to  expound  to 
them  the  nature  of  fidelity,  and  to  prescribe  what  would 
be  the  security  proper  to  be  relied  on  by  the  government 
for  their  sincerity  ?  "  The  deputies  were  then  informed  they 
had  a  fair  opportunity  to  manifest  the  reality  of  their  obe- 
dience by  immediately  subscribing  to  the  Oath  of  Allegi- 
ance. They  answered  "  they  had  Kot  come  prepared  to  an- 
swer the  Council  on  that  head."  The  Council  replied  that 
the  same  thirg  had  often  been  proposed  to  them  during  the 
six  years  past,  that  they  knew  the  sentiment  of  the  inliabit- 
ants,  and  had  determined  this  point  with  rei^ard  to  them- 
selves before  now.  The  deputies  asked  that  they  might  go 
and  consult  with  the  people  as  they  desired  to  act  with  the 
rest,  and  were  told  they  "would  not  be  permitted  to  return 
for  any  such  purpose,  but  that  it  was  expected  from  them 
to  declare  on  the  spot."  Permission  was  given  them  to  de- 
lay an  answer  until  the  following  morning.  In  the  mean- 
time the  "Council  after  consideration  were  of  opinion  that 
directions  should  be  given  to  Captain  Murray  to  order  the 
French  inhabitants  forthwith  to  choose  and  send  to  Halifax, 
new  deputies  with  the  general  resolution  oi  the  said  inhab- 
itants in  regard  to  taking  the  oath,  and  that  none  of  them 
should  for  the  future  be  admitted  to  take  it  ai'ter  having 
once  refused  to  do  so,  but  that  effectual  measures  ought  to 
be  taken  to  remove  such  Recusants  out  of  the  Province." 

"The  deputies  were  then  called  in  again,  and  having  been 
informed  of  tliis  Resolution,  ottered  to  take  the  oath,  but 
were  informed  that  as  there  was  no  reason  to  hope  tlieir 
compliance  proceeded  from  an  honest  frame  of  mind,  and 
could  be  esteemed  only  the  effect  of  compulsion  and  lo.oe, 
and  ib  uontiai^  tu  au  Act  of  Parliament  waerebj^  ^nvtaoua^ 


EXPULSION  OP  THE  FRENCH  NEI7TSALS 


197 


who  have  refused  to  take  the  oatlis  cannot  afterwards  be 
peimitted  to  take  tbem.  but  are  considered  as  Popish  Recu- 
sants; therefore  they  would  not  now  be  indulged  with  such 
permission.  And  they  were  thereupon  ordered  into  confine- 
ment." 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  men  thus  summarily  impris- 
oned were  proven  guilty  of  "assisting  the  King's  enemies," 
or  "refusing  to  supply  the  government  with  provisions," 
nor  even  that  they  were  individually  charged  with  the  of- 
fence; neither  did  the  Council  make  any  butac;enera  accu- 
sation of  a  "constant  disposition  to  distress"  the  Eii;;lisli 
subjects,  and  "  obstruct  the  intentions  of  the  King,"  with- 
out deigning  to  support  the  charge  with  a  single  instance 
circumstantially  proven,  or  even  asserted. 

We  quote  fiom  Haunay  on  this  topic:  "The  presence, 
north  of  the  MisJ^eguash,  of  fourteen  hundred  inhabitaut.s, 
rendered  despeiate  by  their  misfortunes, and  led  by  a  French 
regular  officer,  and  reinforced  by  a  large  band  of  Indians, 
afforded  ground  for  the  most  serious  alarm.  The  iniiabit- 
anls  of  the  settlements  at  Minas  and  Annapolis  were  known 
to  be  in  active  sympathy  and  correspondence  with  these 
*  Deserted  French  Inhabitants,'  as  they  were  termed.  "With 
consummate  hypocrasy  these  *  deserted'  Frenchmen,  who 
had  c'aimed  and  professed  to  be  neutrals,  got  themselves 
enrolled  for  the  defense  of  Beausyjour,  under  threatening 
orders  which  they  themselves  invited.  With  ecjual  hypoc- 
rasy, the  French  of  Minas  and  Annapolis  approached  the 
English  Governor  with  honeyed  words,  while  they  were 
plotting  in  secret  with  the  enemies  of  English  jjower.* — 
With  so  many  concealed  enemies  in  the  heart  of  the  Prov- 


•The  same  writer  elsewhere  says,  the  action  of  the  Desertod  French 
was  due  to  the  influence  of  La  Loutre ;  and  the  question  mi;i;ht  be  nsked, 
where  is  his  Huthority  in  regard  to  their  "consumiuate  hvpocrasy"  in 
themselves  inviting  threatcuiug  orders;  or  that  the  otlior  iuhabitauts 
were  "plotting  in  secret  with  the  enemies  of  EugUah  power." 


M 

!  i 


I 


■  !i 


it 


198 


ACilDIA 


i  :?)!■■ 


'\  I 


( I 


I 


ince,  and  so  larpe  a  number  of  open  oneraies  on  its  borders, 
the  position  of  the  Encflish  colonists  wa-i  far  from  secure. 
And  surely  they  deserved  some  consid(M  ation  at  the  hands 
of  their  own  government,  and  some  measure  of  protection 
against  those  who  soupht  to  destroy  them.** 

Haliburton,  who  ruiyht  be  expected  to  favor  the  Bvilisb 
fiide  of  the  question,  says  "the  orders  against  tho  I'leiicb 
population  directing  the  surrender  of  their  arms  and  the  giv- 
ing up  of  their  boats  were  complied  with  in  a  manner  which 
might  certainly  have  convinced  the  government  thit  they 
had  no  serious  intention  of  an  insurrection."  He  attrib- 
utes the  sanguinary  action  of  the  goverume/it  to  re.igiovis 
prejudices,  and  to  the  hatred  with  which  the  English  at  that 
time  regarded  all  Frenchmen.  He  furtl)er  says  the  action 
of  the  goveriim-Mit  was  not  always  such  as  would  t'oncitate 
affection,  and  cited  as  an  instance  when  Captain  Munay  in- 
formed the  pco^ile  at  Piziquid  that  if  they  tlid  not  furnish 
his  detachments  with  fuel  their  houses  would  be  used  for 
that  purpose;  or  if  they  failed  to  furnish  timber  for  the  re- 
pairs of  Fort  Edward,  they  should  certainly  suffer  military 
execution. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  the  entire  line  of  forts  and 
the  northern  border  of  Nova  IScotia  had  faV.en  into  the  liaiids 
of  the  English,  some  of  them  having  garrisons  leit  in  tlioni 
to  prevent  communication  between  the  Frt-nch  of  Cuuada 
and  Acadia.  The  French  refugees  at  Chiguecto  had  been 
disarmed;  the  Priest  La  Loutre  had  fled  to  Canada,  tmd 
gave  no  furtlier  trouble:  Vevgor  and  other  leaders  wore  pris- 
oners of  war ;  the  Indians  had  mostly  left  the  Pi  ovince,  and 
the  Neutrals  about  IMinas  and  Annaiiolis  had  delivered  up 
their  anus,  and  appeared  as  peaceably  inclined  as  at  any 
time  during  their  forty  years  sojourn  under  British  lule; 
the  English  colonists  were  daily  becoming  stronger  in  num- 
bers, and  in  short,  every  indication  about  the  Peninsula  was 
favorable  to  the  government.     Under  these  circumstauces 


EXPULSION  OP  THE  FRENCH  NtOIRALS 


199 


it  is  Imvd  to  explain,  in  the  light  of  the  j^resent  century,  the 
extreme  measures  decided  on  by  the  Governor  and  Council, 
assisted  by  Admirals  Boscawen  and  Mostyn,  convened  at 
Halifax,  July  IHih,  1755 — no  less  a  measure  than  the  eviction 
of  the  whole  Fz'ench  poinilation  of  Acadia,  and  tiieir  disper- 
sion among  aliens  in  a  strange  land. 

By  the  end  of  July,  answer  had  been  received  from  all  the 
French  settlements,  to  the  effect  that  they  would  take  no 
new  oath;  and  "as  it  had  been  determined  before  to  send 
all  the  French  inhabitants  out  of  the  Province  if  thev  re- 
fused  to  take  tha  oath,  nothing  now  remained  to  be  consid- 
ered but  what  measures  were  necessary  to  send  Ihein  away, 
and  where  they  should  be  stni.  After  mature  considera- 
tion, it  was  unanimously  agreed  that,  to  prevent  as  much 
as  possible  their  atteinpting  to  return  and  molest  the  set- 
tlors that  ma,}'  be  set  down  on  their  lands,  it  would  be  most 
proper  to  send  them  to  bo  distributed  t.inong  the  several 
colonies  on  the  Continent,  and  that  a  SLiflicieut  number  of 
vessels  should  be  hired  with  all  possible  expedition  for  that 
purpose." 

Governor  Lawrence's  instructions  to  the  various  military 
forces  designed  to  carry  the  resolutions  of  the  goveinment 
into  execution,  were,  to  keep  the  measures  as  secret  as  pos- 
sible, "as  well  to  prevent  tlieir  attempting  to  escape  to  car- 
ry off  their  catt'e;"'  and  the  better  to  effect  this,  "you  will 
endeavor  to  fall  upon  some  stratagem  to  ge^  the  men,  both 
Old  and  young  (especially  the  heads  of  famiiies)  nito  your 
power  and  detain  them  until  the  transports  shall  arrive,  so 
that  they  may  be  ready  to  be  shipped  oft' ;  for  when  this  is 
done,  it  is  not  much  to  be  feared  that  the  women  and  chil- 
dren will  attempt  to  go  away  and  carry  off  the  cattle.  But, 
lest  tliey  should,  it  will  not  only  be  proper  to  secure  all  the 
boats  and  vessels  you  can  lay  your  hands  ujiou,  but  also  to 
send  ont  *~j,rtie3  to  ail  suspected  roads  and  places  I'rom  time 
to  time,  30 they  may  thereby  be  intercepted."     He  also  or- 


II 


! 

B   '' 

-    I 

■  ■ ;  M   i 

■     "B    i' 

ft  K 

1 

1:1 

'!■' 


t:!' 


200 


ACADtJk 


ders  that  the  inhabitants  will  not  "  be  allowed  to  carry  away 
the  least  thing  but  their  ready  money  uad  household  furni- 
ture." 

And  again:  *'As  thei*e  may  be  a  deal  of  difficulty  in  se- 
curing them,  you  will,  to  prevent  this  as  much  as  possible, 
destroy  all  the  villages  on  the  north  and  northwest  side  of 
the  isthmus,  that  lie  at  any  distance  from  the  Fort  of  Beau- 
sejour,  and  use  every  other  method  to  distress,  as  mut-h  as 
can  be,  those  who  may  attempt  to  conceal  themselves  in  the 
woods.  ....  I  would  have  you  give  particular  orders 
for  entirely  destroying  and  demolishing  the  villages  of  Je- 
diacke.  Kamsach,  &c.,  and  everything  they  find  about  these 
quarters,  from  which  any  sort  of  support  or  assistance  may 
be  had  by  an  enemy." 

To  gratify  a  ;audable  curiosity  that  is  likely  to  arise  re- 
specting the  social  condition  of  this  peoj^le  on  who.ie  heads 
a  calamity,  unpara.leled  in  historj-,  is  about  to  fall,  and 
against  whom  such  diieful  seheiiies  are  being  concocted,  we 
will  draw  at  some  length  from  the  historian  Halibinton, 
who  not  only  was  a  resident  of  the  territory,  but  who  had 
known  and  conversed  with  eye-witnesses  of  the  sad  event. 

"•Hunt  wig  and  fishing,  which  had  formerly  been  the  de'ight 
of  the  colony,  and  might  have  still  supplied  it  with  subsist- 
ence, had  no  attraction  for  a  simple  and  quiet  people,  and 
gave  way  to  agriculture,  which  had  been  established  in  the 
niaishes  and  low  lands,  by  repelling  with  dikes  the  sea  and 
rivers  which  had  covered  these  plains.  These  grounds 
yielded  fifty  to  one,  at  first,  and  afterward  fifteen  or  twen- 
ty for  one,  at  least  j  wheat  and  oats  succeeded  best  in  them, 
but  they  likewise  produced  rye,  barley,  and  maize.  There 
were  also  potatoes  in  great  plenty,  the  use  of  which  was  be- 
come common,  at  the  same  time  these  immense  meadows 
were  covered  with  flocks.  They  computed  as  many  as  six- 
ty thousand  head  of  horned  cattle :  and  most  families  had 
several  horses,  though  the  tillage  was  cairied  on  by  oxen. 


EXPUloiON  OP  THE  FRENOH  NErTRALS 


2"»1 


Tbeir  habitations,  which  were  of  wood,  were  extremely  con- 
venient, and  furnished  as  neatly  as  substantial  farmers  hous- 
es in  Europe.     They  reared  a  great  deal  of  poulti^  of  all 
lands,  which  made  a  variety  in  their  food,  at  once  whole- 
some and  plentiful.     Their  ordiriai'y  drink  was  beer  and  ci- 
der,  to   which  they  sometimes   added  rum.     Their  usual 
clothing  was  in  general  the  produce  of  their  own  flax,  or  of 
the  fl'^eces  of  their  own  sheep ;  with  these  they  made  com- 
mon linens  and  coarse  cloths.     If  any  of  them  had  any  de- 
sire for  articles  of  greater  luxury,  they  procured  them  from 
Annapolis  or  Louisbourg,  and  gave  in  exchange,  corn,  cat- 
tle, or  furs.     The  Neutral  Fi'ench  had  nothing  else  to  give 
their   neighbors,   and  made   still  fewer  exchanges  among 
themselves:  because  each  separate  family  was  able,  and  had 
been  accustomed,  to  provide  for  its  own  wants.     They  there- 
fore knew  nothing  of  paper  currency,  which  was  so  com- 
mon thioughout  the  rest  of  North  America.     Even  the  small 
quantity  of  gold  and  silver  which  had  been  introduced  into 
the  Colony,  did  not  inspire  that  activity  in  which  its  chief 
value   consists.     Their  manners  were  of  course  extremely 
simple.     There  was  seldom  a  cause,  either  civil  or  criminal, 
of  importance  enough  to  be  carried  before  the  Court  of  Ju- 
dicature, established  at  Annapolis.     Whatever  little  differ- 
ences arose  from  time  to  time  among  them  were  amicably 
adjusted  by  their  elders.     All  their  public  acts  were  diawn 
by  their  pastois,   who  had  likewise  the  keejiing  of  their 
wills ;  for  which,  and  their  religious  services,  the  inhabit- 
tints  paid  a  twenty-seventh  part  of  their  harvest,  which  was 
always  sufficient  to  afford  more  means  than  there  were  ob- 
jects of  generosity. 

"  Real  misery  was  wholly  unknown,  and  benevolence  an- 
ticipated the  demands  of  poverty.  Every  misfortune  was 
relieved,  as  it  were,  before  it  could  be  felt,  without  ostenta- 
tion on  the  one  hand,  and  without  meanness  on  the  other. 
It  was,  in  short,  a  society  of  brethren ;  every  individual  of 


1 


it  ■ 

it 


'■"*■  J 


m 


it 


i  ,\ .  I 


i  ■■■ » . 


i  >  1 


■t 


<H 


i!  !t;} 


'ai> 

m 


I 


i' 


202 


ACADIA 


which  was  equally  reaJly  to  give,  an;l  to  receive,  what  he 
thoujTfht  Ihe  corumon  right  of  nianl\iucl.  So  perfect  a  har- 
mony naturally  prevented  all  those  connections  of  gallantry 
wliic-h  are  so  often  fatal  to  the  peace  of  families.  An  ille- 
gitimate child  was  almost  unknown  in  the  settloments. — 
This  evil  was  prevented  by  early  marricages,  for  no  one 
passed  his  youth  in  a  state  of  celibacy.  As  soon  as  a  young 
man  arrived  at  a  proper  age,  the  comniunity  built  him  a 
house,  broke  up  the  lands  about  it,  and  supplied  him  with 
all  the  ntcesparies  of  ";il'e  for  a  twelve-month.  There  he  re- 
cf-ived  the  partner  v.hom  he  had  chosen,  who  brought  him 
her  portion  in  flocks.  This  new  family  grew  and  jjrospered 
like  the  others.  In  175.3,  all  together  made  a  population  of 
eighteen  thousand  souls." 

"Tradition  is  fresh  and  positive  in  the  various  parts  of 
the  Ignited  States  where  they  were  afterwards  located,  re- 
specting their  guileless,  peaceable  and  scrupulous  charac- 
ter; and  the  descendants  of  those,  whose  long-clierished  and 
endearing  local  attachment  induced  them  to  return  to  the 
land  of  their  nativity,  still  deserve  the  name  of  a  mild,  fru- 
gal, and  pious  peo  ile." 

The  execution  of  this  unusual  and  genei*al  sentence,  says 
Haliburton,  was  allotted  chiefly  to  the  New  England  forces. 
The  Acadiaus  were  kept  entirely  ignorant  of  their  destiny, 
agreeably  to  instructions  from  Governor  Lawrence,  until 
the  moment  of  their  captivity,  and  were  overawed,  or  al- 
lured, to  labor  at  the  gathering  in  of  their  harvest,  which 
was  secretly  allotted  to  the  use  of  their  conquerors. 

The  orders  from  Lawrence  to  Captain  Murray,  who  was 
first  on  the  station,  directed  that  if  these  people  beiiaved 
amiss,  they  should  be  punished  at  his  discretion;  and  if  any 
attempts  were  made  to  molest  the  troops,  he  should  take 
an  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth ;  and,  in  short, 
life  for  life,  from  the  nearest  neighbor  where  the  niiscbief 
should  be  performed.     To  hunt  these  people  into  captivity 


{U- 


ec 


ity 


EXPDI.SIOS  OF  THE  JTIKXCH  NEUTRALS 


203 


was  a  measure  us  imi'iacticable  as  cruel ;  ami  as  it  was  not 
to  be  siii'posed  tliey  ward  voliii;tarily  FUiiendcr  thojiisolves 
as  prisonors,  their  subjugation  became  a  matter  of  f^nat  dif- 
ficulty. At  a  coiihuilation  held  bfLwten  Colonel  Winslow 
and  Captain  Muiray,  .t  was  agreed  that  a  pruL'lam.ition 
slionld  be  issued  at  the  different  sett'euieiits,  requiring  the 
attendance  of  the  peap.e,  at  the  rc-pective  pc.;  ts  on  the. 
same  day;  which  proclamr.tion  should  be  so  ambigu(ius  in 
its  nature,  that  the  object  for  which  they  weiC  to  assemble 
could  not  be  discovered ;  and  so  peremptory  in  its  torms, 
as  to  insure  implicit  obedience.  That  which  was  a.ldiessed 
to  the  people  in  the  limits  now  comprised  in  Kin^j's  Coun- 
ty, was  as  follows : 

"  To  the  inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Grand   Pre,  Minas, 
River  Canard,  &c.,  as  well  ancient, as  young  men  and  lads: 

Whereas  his  Exce'lercy,  the  Governor,  has  instrufted  us 
of  his  late  resolution  retpecting  the  matter  prnpowed  to  the 
inhabitants,  and  lir.s  ordf-red  v.s  to  coMmunicate  the  same  in 
person,  "his  Excf-ilency,  being  desirous  that  each  of  them 
bhould  be  satisiied  of  his  Misjesty's  intentions,  which  he 
has  aiso  ordered  us  to  communicate  to  you,  such  as  they 
have  been  given  to  him :  We  therefore  older  and  strictly 
enjoin  by  these  presents,  all  of  the  inhabitants,  as  well  of 
the  above  named  Distnct  as  of  all  the  other  Districts,  both 
o:d  and  young  men,  as  weh  as  aii  tlie  lads  of  tea  years  of 
a.!:;e,  to  attend  at  the  Church  of  Grand  Pie,  on  i'riday,  the 
5th  instant,  at  three  of  the  clock  in  the  a  i.'rijoon,  raut  we 
may  impart  to  them  wijat  we  are  ordered  to  communicate 
to  them;  dec  ariiig  tliat  n->  exciise  wiii  be  admitted  on  any 
pretense  whatever,  on  paui  of  lorf  filing  goods  a;ul  ctiatteis, 
iii  default  of  real  estaie.  GaV«.u  at  Giauu  i'le,  iia  Septem- 
ber, 1755,  and  29th  year  ol  hi.s  ^iajesty's  re;;;::. 

"John  Winslow." 

While  the  three  days  are  passing  before  the  memorable 
5th  arrives — a  term  but  too  short  lor  the  unsusp>ctii)g  Aca- 
dians — let  us  glance  at  the  conespoudciice  of     the      com- 


t) 


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manders  of  the  several  clistiicts  who  are  engaged  in  this 
work  of  oaptiniDg  a  whole  people,  and  see  what  motivei 
prompt,  and  what  thoughts  inspire  them. 

Grand  Pre,  30th  August,  1755. 

To  Governor  Lawrence: 

I  am  favored  with  your  Excellency's  letters,  which  Cap- 
tain Murray  was  so  good  aa  to  be  the  beai'er  of,  and  with 
whom  I  have  consulted  as  to  the  duty  proposed  ;  and  as  the 
corn  is  now  a'l  down,  the  weather  being  such,  has  preven- 
ted the  inhabitants  from  housing  it,  it  is  his  opinion  and 
mine,  tluit  your  Excellency's  orders  should  not  be  made  pub- 
lic until  Friday;  and  which  day  we  propose  to  put  them  in 
execution.  We  hud  picquettcd  in  the  camp  before  the  re- 
ceipt of  your  Excellency's  letter,  and  I  imagiiiH  it  is  so  far 
from  giving  surpiise  to  the  inhabitants,  as  to  their  being  de- 
tained, that  they  look  upon  it  as  a  settled  poinr,  that  we  are 
to  remain  with  them  all  winter;  and  as  this  duty  is  of  no  ex- 
pense to  Government,  I  cannot  but  flatter  myself  your  Ex- 
cellency will  approve  of  the  matter,  as  lii'ty  men  to  remain 
will  be  better  in  present  cu'cumstances,  than  one  hundred 
without  this  protection,  and  the  other  part  of  the  troops 
put  on  duty  abroad,  .  .  .  Although  it  is  a  disagreeable 
part  of  the  duty  we  are  put  upon,  I  am  sensible  it  is  a  nec- 
essary one,  and  shall  endeavor  strictly  to  obey  your  Excel- 
lency's orders,  to  do  anything  in  me  to  remove  the  neigh- 
bors about  me  to  a  better  country ;  as  to  poor  1  utLer  Xje 
Biauc,  I  shall,  with  your  Excellency's  permicision,  send  him 
to  my  own  place.    I  am,  &,c., 

John  Winslow. 

23d  August. 

This  morning  Capt.  Adams  and  party  returned  from  their 
march  to  the  liiver  Canard,  and  reported  it  was  a  line  coun- 
try and  full  of  inhabitants,  a  beautiljl  church,  abundauc« 
of  the  good  of  this  worjd,  and  provisions  of  all  kinds  in 
great  plenty.  Capt.  Holby  ordered  with  live  officers  and 
fifty  privates  to  visit  the  vidage  Moiansou  on  the  Kiver  Gas- 
pereau,  and  Capt.  C)t^good,  with  the  ^Lke  number  ot  otticera 
and  men,  to  reconnoitre  the  country  in  the  irout,  or  to  tne 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FUESCH  NEUTHALa 


woutliwoT'l  of  our  eucanipment,  both  of  which  jmrtios  vo- 
tunitHl  in  the  eveuiog,  aud  gave  each  account  that  it  was  ft 
fiue  country. 

John  Wissrow, 
Lieut.  Col.  Cv/minaudiug. 

This  **fine  country,  with  its  benutiful  cliurch,  and  abund- 
ance of  the  good  of  this  world,"  was,  in  less  than  a  for.  ni^ht, 
to  be  laid  waste  by  fire  and  pillage,  and  depopulated,  by  or- 
der of  W'inslow. 

Fort  Cumberland,  24th  August,  1755. 

Dear  Sir: — I  embrace  this  opportunity  with  pleasure,  to 
let  you  know  thiit  these  ieave  me  and  all  friends,  as  I  hope 
they  will  find  you  in  good  health,  and  we  rejoice  to  hpur  of 
your  safe  arrival  at  Minas,  and  am  well  pleased  that  you  aid 
provided  with  so  good  quarters  lor  yourself  and  so^dierH, 
and  Ji  you  have  taken  possession  of  the  friar's  house,  hope 
you  will  execute  the  ofiice  of  pi-iest.  I  am  tired  of  your  iib- 
sence,  and  long  for  nothing  more  than  to  be  wifcliyou;  l)ere 
is  Capt  Proby  and  eight  transports,  arrived  last  "Wednesday; 
Capt,  Taggart  arrived  this  morning,  and  a  sloop  from  New 
York  with  provisions  for  the  troops;  the  news  has  not  yet 
come  on  shore;  our  troops  remain  in  good  health,  and  long 
to  follow  you.     Yours,  &c.,  Prebblb. 

To  CoL  Wiuslow,  commanding  at  Miuas. 

Camp  at  Cumberland,  5th  Sept.,  1755. 

Deab  Sir: — I  received  your  favor  from  Captain  Nichols, 
of  the  23d  August,  and  rejoice  to  heai*  that  the  lines  are  fal- 
len to  you  iu  pleasant  lands,  and  that  you  have  a  goodly 
heiitage.  I  understand  jou  are  surrounded  by  the  good 
things  of  this  world,  and  having  a  sanctified  place  for  your 
habitation,  hope  you  will  be  prepared  for  the  enjoyments  of 
another;  we  are  mouldering  away  our  time  in  your  absence, 
which  has  rendered  this  piace  to  rue  worse  than  a  prison ; 
we  have  only  this  to  comfort  us,  that  we  are  as  nign  to 
heaven  as  you  are  at  Minas,  and  since  we  are  denieu  our 
good  things  in  this  world,  doubt  not  we  shall  be  happy  in 
the  next.     .     .     .    Your  sincere  friend, 

Jedediah  Pbebblib. 

To  Col.  Winslow,  commanding  at  IVliuaH. 


fl 


irtf 


a  t 


ir 


i' 


206 


ACADIA 


Fort  Edward,  175l>. 

I  was  out  yesterday  at  the  villages,  all  the  people  were 
qniet  and  busy  at  the  harvest ;  if  this  day  keeps  fair,  all  will 
be  in  here  into  their  baius.  I  hope  to-morrow  will  crowifc 
all  our  wishes.     I  aai  most  truly,  &c.^ 

A.    MUBBAT. 


'1 


We  will  not  burden  these  pages'  with  more  of  this  sicken- 
ing religious  cant.  Such  professions  of  piety  made  by  men 
engaged  in  the  work  they  were  in,  appears  to  be  little  short 
of  sacrilege. 

The  reader  has  noted,  in  the  above  letters,  th«i  erident 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  English  for  the  people  to  com- 
plete their  harvest  before  the  day  decreed  for  them  to  as- 
semble. The  purpose  of  the  commanders  was,  that  the 
troops  could  the  more  readily  plunder,  and  more  eflfectually 
destroy  what  they  could  not  carry  away ;  tlie  instructions 
of  Governor  Lawrence  being  for  the  country'  to  be  so  com- 
pletely devastated  timt,  should  any  of  the  French  escape 
fi'om  the  soldiers,  they  would  not  be  abie  tf>  subsist  in  it.* 

The  ever  memorable  5th  of  September  arrived  in  due 
time.  The  "beautiful  country"  was  all  aglow  that  morning 
as  only  a  September  sun  in  that  clear  northern  atmosphere 
could  render  it.  The  work  of  the  harvest  is  over — the  u.ut- 
ed  efforts  of  the  whole  populace  (for  women  and  chikiren 
wrought  in  the  fields  in  that  primitive  pastoral  couimuni- 
ty)  sufficing  in  a  few  days  to  secure  the  season's  yield :  the 
produce  of  a  year's  industry  is  safeiy  gatheied  into  over- 


•  The  following  i»  Among  the  instructions  to  Major  Hanfield,  under 
date  of  August  11th,  1755  :  "You  will  use  all  tlie  meaus  proper  and  neces- 
snry  for  collecting  the  people  together  so  as  to  get  Ihein  ou  board.  If  you 
find  that  fair  means  will  not  do  with  them,  you  must  proceoil  by  the  most 
vigorous  measures  possible,  not  only  in  compelling  tliem  to  embark,  but 
in  depriving  those  who  shall  escape  of  all  means  of  shtilei  or  support,  by 
burning  their  houses,  and  destroying  every  tiling  that  may  afford  them  the 
means  ot  subsistence  in  the  country. " 


v!  ' 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NtUTRALS 


207 


flowing  barns  and  granaries.  Little  do  the  yeomanry  sus- 
pect, as  they  gather  round  the  ample  board,  that  it  is  the 
last  time  they  will  be  permitted  to  meet  as  united  families. 
Yet  it  is  apparent  that  something  unusual  is  occnnirig  :  ia 
it  a  day  of  some  religious  festival,  or  r.re  the  people  to  join 
in  a  public  joyous  celebration  of  the  inj^aihering  of  the  sea- 
son's bountiful  harve.it?  The  male  members  go  out  of  hun- 
dreds of  happy  homes  in  obedience  to  the  stern  military 
order  convening  the  inhabitants  for  the  purpose  of  commu- 
nicating "his  Majesty's  intentions'"  concerning  them.  The 
rising  ground  ou  which  stands  the  church  is  isoon  ttemiug 
with  the  country  folk.  Some  come  on  foot,  singly  and  in 
groups;  others,  particularly  the  older  men,  are  conveyed 
thitaer  in  carts:  all  are  neatly  clad  in  substantial  )ion;e- 
apun,  with  countenances  that  betoken  a  peaceable  and  law- 
abiding  population. 

The  church  was  a  large  edifice,  sufficient  for  the  needs  of 
that  extensive  parish.  It  was  sacred  to  the  hearts  of  this 
simple  peoi")le;  it  was  the  place  where,  at  the  stated  gatu- 
erings  of  the  pop  ihice,  the  veiieiable  Father  LeBlauc  was 
wont  to  break  to  them  the  bread  of  life;  it  was  the  scene 
of  their  christenings,  the  solemnization  of  their  marriages, 
and  above  all,  hallowed  to  the  recollection  of  the  last  ri*;e3 
in  memory  of  deceased  loved  tmes. 

Promptly  at  the  hour  (the  Neutrals  had  felt  the  iron  heel 
of  military  despotism  too  long  not  to  be  punctual),  four 
hundred  and  eigliteen  able-bodied  men  were  usteuibled  Lit 
the  church  iu  Giaud  Pie.  These  being  inJu 'ed  to  ent.r 
the  church,  and  a  guard  having  been  stationed  at  1  iie  door, 
Colonel  Winslow  placed  himseif,  with  his  ofiicers,  in  tiie 
centre,  and  addressed  them  as  follows : 


li 


V; 


Gentlemen  : — I  have  received  from  his  Excellency,  Gov- 
ernor Lawrence,  the  King's  cuininiFision,  wliich  I  have  in  my 
hand;  and  by  his  orders  you  are  convened  together  to  man- 


niHHR 


soar 


ACXOT£ 


i'i . 


ifest  to  you,  his  Majesty's  final  resolution  to  the  FrencR'  fn- 
habitants  of  this  his  Province  of  Nova  Scotia ;  who,  for  al- 
most half  a  century,  have  had  more  indulgence  granted 
tbeni  than  any  of  his  subjects  in  any  part  of  his  dominions; 
what  use  you  have  made  of  it  you  yourselves  best  know. — 
The  part  of  duty  I  am  now  upon,  though  necessary,  is  very 
disagreeable  to  my  natural  make  and  temper,  as  I  know  it 
must  be  grievous  to  you,  who  are  of  the  same  species  ;  but 
it  is  not  my  brsiness  to  animadvert,  but  to  obey  such  ordors 
as  I  receive,  and  therefore,  without  hesitation,  shall  deliver 
you  his  Majesty's  orders  and  instructions,,  namely — that 
your  lands  and  tenements,  cattle  of  all  kinds  and  live-stock 
of  all  soi'ts,  are  forfeited  to  the  Crown  r  with  all  other  your 
eflfet-ts,  saving  your  money  and  household  goods,  and  you 
youi'seives  to  be  removed  from  this  his  Province. 

"  Thus  it  is  peremptorily  his  Majesty's  orders,,  that  the 
whole  French  inhabitants  of  these  Districts  be  removed  ? 
and  I  am,  through  his  Majesty's  goodness,  directed  to  al- 
low you  liberty  to  carry  oflF  your  money  and  household 
goods,  as  many  as  you  can  without  discommoding  the  ves- 
sels you  go  in,  I  shall  do  everything  in  my  power  that  all 
these  goods  be  secured  to  you,  and  that  you  are  not  mo- 
lested in  carrying  them  off;  and  also  that  whole  families 
ehall  go  in  the  same  vessel,*  and  make  this  remove,  which 
I  am  sensible  must  make  you  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  as  easy 
as  his  Majesty's  service  will  admit ;  and  hope  that,  in  what- 
ever part  of  the  world  you  may  fall,  you  may  be  faithful 
subjects,  a  peaceable  and  happy  people.  I  must  also  inform 
you,  that  it  is  his  Majesty  g  pleasure  that  you  remain  iu  se- 
curity under  the  inspection  and  direction  of  the  troops  I 
have  the  honor  to  command. 

And  he  then  declared  them  the  King's  prisonerSk 


*  A  promise  which,  whntever  may  have  been'  the  intentkmft  of  Winsh- 
low  in  malciug  it,  y/ns  most  sbnmefnlly  and  inhuninuly  brokeu.  Says 
Mrs.  \\iUiains:  "By  what  BOimism  Colcncl  Winslow  reooiioued  this  de* 
ceptiou,  not  to  soy  abominable  fakchood,  to  liis  couscieuce,  }>ihtory  does 
not  say.  But  his  friends  liave  said  for  him  that  if  he  was  engaged  in  a 
cruel  undertaking,  y( t  his  honor  vsas  untarnished,  and  doing  wliat  he  did 
lit  the  conminnd  of  his  sovereign,  impUwl  no  want  ot  humanity  in  him ; 
that  he  was  uu  otiicer  whose  honor  could  xwt  he  impeached." 


XXPTTLSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NEUTRALS 


209 


The  whole  nur^ber  of  persons  finally  collectfirl  at  Grand 
Pre,  says  HaHburton,  amounted  to  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
thrive  men,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  women,  heads 
of  families;  their  sons  and  daughters  to  the  number  of  fiva 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  of  the  former,  and  five  hundred 
and  seventy-six  of  the  latter ;  making  in  all  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-three  souls. 

Their  stock  consisted  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  and 
eixty-nine  oxen,  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
cows,  five  thousand  and  seven  young  cattle,  four  hundred 
and  ninety-thiee  horses,  nearly  nine  thousand  sheep,  and 
upwards  of  four  thousand  hogs.  This  enumeration  shows 
the  thriftiness  of  the  population,  who  were  rich  in  all  that 
added  to  worldly  enjoyment. 

As  some  of  the  wretched  inhabitants  fled  to  the  woods, 
all  possible  measures  were  adopted  to  force  them  back  to 
captivity.  The  country  was  laid  waste  to  prevent  their 
subsistence.  In  the  district  of  Minas  alone,  the  soldiers,  by 
order  of  Winslow,  set  fire  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  private 
dwellings,  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  barns,  eleven  mills, 
one  church,  and  other  buildings  to  the  number  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fiftj'-five; — over  five  hundred  buildings  in  all,  con- 
taining all  the  grain  and  household  effects  (not  set  apart  for 
their  capturs)  of  the  Acadians,  reduced  to  ashes  in  a  single 
district ! 

It  was  thought  the  people  who  had  temporarily  escaped 
capture,  woild  return  and  deliver  themselves  into  the  hands 
of  the  Enghsti.  rather  than  attempt  to  reuiain  in  a  country 
where  was  no  shelter  nor  provisions  for  susteiiuice.  Hav- 
ing been  deprived  of  their  arms,  they  were  at  tiie  mercy  of 
the  enemy,  and  many  were  reduced  to  such  a  conditiou  of 
despair,  that  they  surrendered  themselves  up.  A  few  were 
yet  hiding  in  the  woods ;  in  order  to  force  them  to  terms, 
Col.  Winslow  issued  another  order,  sur])iiS8ing  in  cruelty 
Lis  former  one,  if  possible,  which  was  to  the  effect  that,  "  if 


i;  ( 


•t:\ 


n 


210 


ACADIA 


ii'< 


•within  a  specified  time  the  absent  ones  were  not  delivered 
up,  military  execulion  would  be  immediately  visited  upon 
tbe  next  of  kin."  In  short,  says  Haliburton,  so  operative 
were  the  terrors  that  surrounded  them,  that  of  twenty-four 
young  men  who  deserted  from  a  transport,  twenty-two  ware 
glad  to  leturn  of  themselves,  the  others  baing  shtit  b}'  sen- 
tinels ;  and  one  of  their  friends,  believed  to  have  been  ac- 
cessory to  their  escape,  was  carried  on  shore  to  behold  the 
destruction  of  his  house  and  effects,  which  were  burned  in 
his  presence,  as  a  punishment  for  his  temerity  and  his  per- 
fidious aid  to  his  comrades. 

In  the  execution  of  these  orders  for  firing  the  dwellings, 
no  provision  was  made  for  the  sick  and  infirm ;  the  edict 
was  inexorable,  though  the  removal  of  the  invalid  from  a 
dwelling  should  prove  fatal.  A  number  of  thsm,  more  fee- 
ble than  the  others,  did  die  from  exposure  to  the  night  air 
and  chilling  winds,  while  waiting  on  shore  during  the  delay 
attending  the  embarkation :  their  bodies  were  hastily  buried 
in  the  sand  by  the  sea. 


■Jt 


w 


The  prisoners  confined  in  the  church  expressed  the  great- 
est concern  at  having  incurred  his  llajesiy's  displeasure, 
and  in  a  petition  addressed  to  Colonel  Winslow,  oufcreatcd 
him  to  detain  a  part  of  them  a.?  sureties  for  the  appearance 
of  the  rest  who  were  desirous  of  visiting  their  families,  and 
consoling  them  in  their  distress  and  misfortunes.  To  com- 
ply with  this  request  of  holding  a  few  as  hoslages  for  the 
surrender  of  the  whole  body,  was  deemed  inconsistent  with 
his  instructions ;  but  permission  was  given  them  to  choose 
ten  for  the  District  of  Miuas,  and  ten  for  Canard,  to  whom 
leave  of  absence  was  granted  for  one  day;  and  on  whose  re- 
turn, another  similar  number  was  indulged  in  like  manner. 

The  unfortunate  captives  bore  their  confinement,  and  re- 
ceived their  sentence  with  a  fortitude  and  resignation  alto- 
gether unexpected ;  but  wheu  the  hour  of  embaikutiou  ar- 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NEUTRALS 


211 


rived,  in  which  they  were  to  leave  the  land  of  their  nativity 
foiever, — to  part  with  their  families  and  friends  with  lit- 
tle hope  of  ever  again  meeting,  and  to  be  dispersed  among 
strangers,  whose  language,  customs  and  religion,  were  op- 
posed to  their  own, — then  it  was  that  the  weakness  of  hu- 
man nature  prevailed,  and  they  were  overpowered  with  the 
sense  of  their  miseries. 

Before  giving  particulars  of  the  embarkation,  let  us  turn 
once  more  to  the  written  evidences  of  this  dark  transaction 
left  by  those  participating  in  the  terrible  deed.  In  Wins- 
low's  letter  book,  to  which  source  we  are  already  indebted, 
ai*e  the  following : 

"  The  French  people  not  having  with  them  any  provisions, 
and  many  of  them  pleading  hunger,  begged  for  bread;  on 
which  I  gave  them,  and  ordered  that  for  the  future,  they 
be  supplied  from  their  respective  families.  Thus  endeu  the 
memorable  fifth  day  of  September,  a  day  of  great  fatigue 
and  trouble. 

John  Winslow. 

Fort  Edward,  8th  Sept.,  1715. 
Dear  Sir:  — I  received  your  favor,  and  am  extremely 
pleased  that  things  are  so  clever  at  Grand  Pre,  and  that 
the  poo*"  levils  are  so  resigned  ;  here  they  are  more  patient 
tnau  I  could  have  expected  for  persons  so  ciicumstauced, 
and  what,  still  surprises  me,  quite  unconcerned.  When  I 
thiuk  of  those  at  Annapolis,  I  appear  over  thoughtfu  of 
Bummouing  them  in;  I  am  afraid  there  will  be  some  difli- 
cu'.ty  n  getting  them  to,<:ethor;  you  know  our  soldiers  liate 
them,  and  if  they  cau  but  linJ  a  pretext  to  kill  tiieni  they 
Vfiih  I  am  really  giad  to  tnink  your  carnp  is  so  wed  secur- 
ed (as  the  Frencii  said  at  least  a  good  prison  for  inhabitants). 
I  iOng  much  to  see  the  poor  wretches  embaiked  and  our 
afl'.iub  a  little  settled,  and  then  I  will  do  mjseif  the  pleas- 
ure of  meeting  you  and  drin^ung  their  good  voyage,  &c.,  «fec. 

i'ours,  &o. 

A.    JiORSAY. 

To  Colonel  John  Wiuslow. 


«i 


i 


'M 


Ml 


r, 
4  \i 


1 

■    ■ 

1 
i 

^  ! 

k  r'  i  1 1 


212 


AOADU 


is 


in 


i 


Fort  Edward,  5th  September,  1755. 

Dear  Sir: — I  bave  succee.lpd  finely,  and  have  got  183 
men  into  my  possession.  I  believe  there  are  but  very  few 
left,  excepting  their  sick.  I  am  hopeful  you  have  had  equal- 
ly as  good  luck,  should  be  glad  you  would  send  me  t-ans- 
poi  ty  as  soon  as  possible,  for  you  know  our  fort  is  but  small ; 
I  slumid  also  esteem  it  a  favour,  if  you  could  also  send  me 
an  otficer  and  thirty  men  more,  as  I  shall  be  obliged  to  send 
to  some  distant  rivers,  where  they  are  not  all  come  yet. — 
Your  answer  as  soon  as  possible,  will  greatly  oblige  your 
most  humble  servant. 

A.  Murray. 

P.  S. — I  have  sent  Father  Le  Blanc's  son  to  you,  to  go 
with  his  father,  as  you  have  taken  him  under  your  protec- 
tion. At  the  nearest  computation,  it  will  require  360 
tons  of  shipping,  which  I  think  at  the  least  computatiou  too 
small ;  therefore  I  believe  400  tons  will  be  better, — since 
writing  the  above,  two  of  the  transports  have  arrived. 

A.  Murray. 

To  Col.  Winslow,  Commanding 
His  Majesty's  forces  at  Grand  Pre. 

Governor  Lawrence  gave  the  following  instructions  relat- 
ing to  theii'  embarkation: 

"You  must  collect  the  inhabitants  together,  either  by  strat- 
agem or  force,  not  paying  the  least  attention  to  any  remon- 
strance or  memorial  from  any  inhabitant  whatever,  who  may 
be  desirous  of  staving  behind,  but  embark  every  person  if 
possible,  according  to  instructions  herewith  sent.  The  in- 
habitants and  their  bedding  must  at  all  events  be  embarked; 
and  if  afterwards  there  is  room  for  other  articles,  suffer 
them  to  carry  what  they  conveniently  can.  Upon  arrival  of 
the  vessels,  as  many  of  the  inhabitants  as  can  be  collected 
by  any  means,  particularly  the  heads  of  families  and  young 
men,  are  to  be  shipped  on  board  of  them  at  the  i*ate  of  two 
persons  to  a  ton,  tonnage  of  the  vessels  to  be  obtained  from 
the  masters.  .  .  .  You  will  order  live  pounds  of  iiour  and 
one  pound  of  pork  to  be  delivered  to  each  person  so  shipped, 
to  last  for  seven  days. 

"And  you  wiil  make  it  a  particuior  injuuctiou  to  the  said 


in* 


I 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NEUTRALS 


213 


masters  to  be  as  careful  and  watchful  as  possible  during 
the  whole  course  of  the  passapce,  to  prevent  the  passen^^ers 
from  making  any  attempt  to  seize  upon  the  vessel,  by  allow- 
ing only  a  small  number  to  be  upon  the  decks  at  a  time  and 
using  all  other  necessary  precautious  to  prevent  tho  bad 
consequences  of  such  attempts;  and  that  they  be  particu- 
larly careful  that  the  inhabitants  have  carried  no  arms  or 
other  offensive  weapons  on  board  with  them. 

Of  the  vessels  appointed  to  rendezvous  in  the  Basin  of 
Minas,  there  weve  "to  be  sent  to  North  Carolina,  such  a 
number  as  will  transport  five  hundred  persons;  to  Vir- 
ginia, such  a  number  as  will  transport  one  thousand  per- 
sons, and  to  Maryland,  such  a  number  as  will  transport 
five  hundred  persons,  or  in  proportion,  if  the  number  to  be 
shipped  off  should  exceed  two  thousand  persons." 

Of  the  transports  assembled  in  Annapolis  Basin,  there 
were  ordered  "  to  be  sent  to  Philadelphia,  such  a  number 
as  will  transport  three  hundred  persons ;  to  New  York  suf- 
ficient to  transport  two  hundred,  to  Connecticut  suffic  ent 
to  transport  three  hundred,  and  to  Boston  such  a  number 
of  vessels  as  will  transport  two  hundred  persons,  or  rather 
more  in  proportion  to  Connecticut,  should  the  number  to 
be  shipped  off  exceed  one  thousand  persons."  Governor 
Lawrence  estimates  the  number  of  French  in  the  Province 
whom  he  proposed  to  forcibly  remove,  to  be  nearly  seven 
thousand. 

The  Acadian  peasants  incarcerated  in  the  chapel,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  bore  their  captivity  with  remarkable  for- 
titude. Not  surmising  that  such  extreme  measures  were 
contemplated  by  the  English,  they  had  been  unwarily  decoyed 
and  captured,  without  even  a  show  of  resistance.*  Duiing 
the  first  night  of  their  confinement,  their  families  remained 


•Garneau,  in  his  "L'Historie  Du  Canada,"  snys  ft  body  of  soldiera, 
hitherto  kept  in  the  backRioniid,  canio  forward  and  surrounded  the  build' 
ing  us  soon  as  the  unsuspecting  French  entered  it 


i; 


iJ: 


il 


I-' 


^IHij' 


m 


t,: 

i- 

i 


■ 


I      I 


I' 


a 


t    I'f 


214 


AOATHA 


at  home  in  an^Ions  solicitude  at  their  continued  aT)apnce. — 
A  number  of  stranfje  vespela  liad  been  noticed  in  the  Basin, 
and  the  fact  added  to  their  forebodings.  At  the  first  break 
of  morninpf  some  messengers  arrived^  and  soon  the  intelli- 
gence spread  to  the  farthest  settlement.  It  is  not  possible  for 
the  pen  to  poi  tray  the  emotions  that  must  have  aiisen  in 
the  bosoms  of  these  poor  Acadians  at  such  an  announce-- 
nient  as  met  them  on  that  morning.  In  times  of  distress, 
tliere  is  conso'ation  in  rendering  mutual  advice  and  assist- 
ance:  in  this  instance  the  tender  wives  and  helpless  chil- 
dren were  obliged  to  act  without  the  advice  of  theirnatnral 
protectors. 

During  the  few  davs  intervening  between  the  memorable 
5th  and  the  dav  of  embarkation,  events  were  transpiring  of 
the  gravest  import  to  the  French  peop'e.  Batids  of  soldiers 
were  scouring  the  country  in  pursuit  of  fugitives — not  hesi- 
tating forcib^j'  to  enter  the  dwellings  of  the  people  whenever 
a  suspicion  of  a  lurking  Frenchman,  or  even  caprice,  in- 
clined them  so  to  do.  At  one  time  the  community  would 
be  thrown  into  a  high  state  of  excitement  over  the  report 
that  another  of  the  hunted  Acadians — some  loved  husband  or 
brother — had  been  captured,  killed,  or  brought  in  severely 
wounded ;  at  another  time  a  family  would  be  given  so  many 
hours  in  which  to  deliver  up  an  absent  membei",  under  a 
threat  of  militai'y  execution  on  the  nearest  of  kin.  in  cat^e 
of  failure  to  comply ;  all  this  conspired  to  spread  conster- 
nation among  the  peas^antry,  every  family  bowing  under  the 
wei9;ht  of  its  own  affliclrion. 

Then  came  the  order  to  fire  the  buildings.  Squads  of 
soldiers  were  detailed  for  the  purpose,  and  the  incendiary 
torch  was  conveyed  to  the  remotest  hamlet.  The  custom 
of  the  French  Acadians  was,  as  that  of  their  descendants 
is  stili,  to  construct  their  houses  a  few  rods  apart  a'ong  the 
same  street,  while  their  farms  exter.^I  far  back  into  the  coun- 
try.    Thus  the  farming  communities  were  nestled  in  su^all 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FRENCH  NLUTRALS 


21.5 


villages,  anCi  their  social  proclivities  led  them  to  spenrl  much 
of  their  time  at  each  other's  houses.  Tl)e  soldiers  iix^t  with 
MO  resislaiup,  for  oif.y  wom<n  ami  chi  dv?xi  were  there. — 
Hardly  had  the  inhabitants  a  nf)tice  of  their  inteutimis  ere 
the  whole  village  was  erackJing  witli  piti'e-s  fl.imes.  The  ap- 
peals for  mercy  \\ere  received  by  the  soldiers  with  derision. 
The  sick  and  feeble  were  removed  to  the  optm  air;  such  of 
their  valuables  as  the  females  assisted  by  the  children,  could 
tlie  more  readily  carry,  were  taken  to  a  place  of  safety;  on 
evt'vy  side  rose  cries  indicative  of  terror,  or  imploring  lielp ; 
aiotiiers  ran  frantically  about  in  search  of  their  childr.-n, 
while  a  few  st<K)d  wringing  their  hands  in  mute  anguish  at 
thei  •  overwhelming  mis  fortunes. 

Night  settled  down  over  that  once  beautiful  and  popu- 
lous palish  bef<  re  the  Loirid  work  was  completed.  The 
flames  from  hundreds  of  burning  buildings  soon  commr.ni- 
cated  to  Ihe  woods;  the  veiy  htnvens  were  aglow  with  a 
baleful  light,  and  the  air  was  iliick  with  smoke  and  flying 
eiuilers  for  njiles  around.  The  domesticated  animals  bel- 
lowed and  ran  wildly  about;  and  it  is  !?aid  that  the  tumult 
was  conveyed  even  to  the  v  ild  beasts  of  the  forest,  so  great 
was  the  conflagiation.  Can  this  be  the  work  of  man's 
hand? — man  that  was  created  in  the  image  of  his  Maker? 
How  must  the  hearts  of  men  accustomed  to  war  be  steeled 
to  bear  unmoved  such  an  exhibition  of  woe  and  devastation! 

The  four  hundred  French  peasants  immured  in  the  chap- 
el, could  spe  tile  light  of  the  burning  dv/ellings  reflected  on 
the  distant  clouds;  at  times  they  could  distinguish  the 
roa)iug  of  the  flames,  and  the  screams  of  the  aflfiighted  wo- 
men and  children.  There  were  well-to-do  farmers  in  that 
church  who  beheld  the  accumulations  of  a  lii'e-tirae  perish- 
ing in  the  general  conflagration  ;  fathers  were  there,  whose 
little  ones  were  mingling  somewhere  in  the  dreadful  tumult, 
whether  safe  from  harm,  or  whether  in  need  of  the  strength 
of  a  father's  love  to  protect — they  would  have  given  all  to 


ll: 


1 


v\\ 


m^ 


.Ui 


i 


21G 


ACAOIA 


! 


l:uow.  Of  tidiijgs  of  their  fate,  both  on  that  evftntful  nighfc 
and  uuvii)g  their  sub  pquent  life,  many  a  heart-broken  fath- 
er was  forever  kept  in  ignorance ! 

But  the  scenes  there  enacted  will  ever  remain,  in  a  great 
measure,  hidden  from  the  knowledge  of  men.*  We  have  no 
written  evident-e  that  any  act  of  ci'uolty  v/as  jjerpetrated  by 
the  soldiers  beyond  what  the  nature  of  their  work  demand- 
ed j  but  the  French  could  not,  and  the  English  would  net, 
bear  testimony  were  such  the  fact.  When  we  consider  the 
instructions  of  GoTonor  Lawrence  to  ^distress  them  a& 
much  as  possible,"  and  also  the  hatred  which  the  soldiers 
bore  towards  evei'y thing  couiiected  with  Papac;-, — in  short, 
where  so'diers  had  both  license  and  inclination,  the  teach- 
ing of  past  history  will  justify  a  suspicion  there  may  have 
been  moie  sickening  scenes  than  history  has  put  on  record. 

There  have  been  instances,  in  the  annals  of  the  past,  ia 
which  a  country  has  been  desoiated,  in  tuples  of  actual  war, 
and  where  the  inhabitants  were  found  in  aimsj  but  we  de- 
fy all  past  history  to  protiucn  a  parallel  case,  in  which  an 
unarmed  and  peaceable  people  have  suffered  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  did  the  French  Neutrals  of  Acadia  at  the  hands  of 
the  New  England  troops. 


•  It  is  very  remarkable,  says  Halibiirton,  that  there  are  no  traces  of 
this  importaut  event,  to  be  found  among  the  records  in  the  JSecretai-y's 
Office  at  Halifax.  I  could  not  discovci",  that  the  correspondence  had  been 
preserved,  or  that  the  orders,  returns,  and  memorials  ii:td  ever  been  tiled 
there.  In  the  letter-book  of  Govern(jr  Lawrence,  which  is  still  extant, 
no  communication  to  the  Board  of  Trade  is  entered,  from  the  24th  De- 
cember, lliJi  to  the  5th  August,  1756,  if  we  except  a  common  victnalliug 
return.  The  particukirs  of  this  affair  seem  to  have  been  carefully  con- 
cejiled,  although  it  is  not  now  easy  to  assisu  the  reason,  unless  the  par* 
ties  wv  re,  as  in  truth  tlicy  well  nuj^'lit  be,  ashamed  of  the  transaction.  1 
have,  therefore,  had  much  ditlicully  in  ascertaining  the  facts.  Th* 
mnrqhinl  note  in  Miiiot's  history  of  Mas;  ;'.chusects  Iiavmg  reforred  to  th# 
Manuscript  Journal  of  Colonel  Winslow,  1  traced  that  book  to  the  Libra* 
ry  of  the  Mass.  Hist.  Society  in  liostoD. 


EXPTI.^OX  or  TKE  FRENCH  NEUTRALS 


217 


Tiip  lOth  of  Septfmbe:-,  IT";",  was  tlie  clay  fixed  upon  for 
tho  tiej  RVlure  of  tfie  pe  (jle  at.  jlinjis.  Piepavfttiona  liaving 
be',  n  coiupkteJ,  tlie  pnsonPiH  wpi-p  drawn  up  six  denp,  and 
the  young  men,  one  liundrod  and  pixty-ono  in  nnniber,  weio 
ordered  to  go  first  on  board  the  vessels.  This  th?}- inst:int- 
ly  and  perenii)torily  refused  to  do,  declaring  they  would  not 
leave  their  ]  ar'^-nts;  but  expressed  a  willingness  to  comply 
tvith  the  order,  provided  they  were  permitted  to  enjoark 
with  thfir  families.  This  request  was  immediately  rejected, 
and  the  troops  were  ordered  to  fix  bayonets  and  advance 
towitrd  the  piii-oneis,  a  movement  which  had  the  eftect  of 
jroducing  obedience  on  the  part  of  the  young  men,  who 
forthwith  commenced  their  march. 

Tho  road  from  the  chapel  to  the  shore,  just  one  mile  in 
length,  was  cvowdc'd  with  women  and  cliildren,  who,  on 
their  knees,  gieeted  them  as  thej^  passed  with  their  tears 
and  their  blessings,  while  the  prisoners  advanced  with  slow 
and  reluctant  steps,  weeping,  praying,  and  singing  hymns. 
This  detachment  was  followed  by  the  seniors,  who  passed 
through  the  same  Fc-ne  of  sorrow  and  distress.  In  this 
nianner  was  the  whole  roa'e  popuiatinn  of  the  District  of 
Winas  put  on  board  the  five  transports,  stationed  in  the 
River  Gaspereaa,  each  vessel  being  guarded  by  six  non- 
commissioned officers  and  eighty  privates.  As  soon  as  the 
other  vessels  an-ived,  their  wives  and  children  followed,  and 
the  whole  were  placed  on  beard. 

The  haste  vith  which  these  measures  were  carried  into 
exfciition,  continues  Haliburton,  from  whom  we  draw  large- 
ly, did  not  admit  of  those  preparations  for  their  comfort, 
Vbich,  if  unmerited  by  their  dis'oyalty,  were  at  least  due  in 
pity  to  the  seventy  of  their  punishment.  "  Wives  were  torn 
from  their  husbands,''  and  mothers,  while  it  was  "too  late, 
fcaw  their  cliildren  left  on  the  lard,  extending  their  arms 
with  wildest  entre.i:i^f."  Bntthe  hnrry,  the  confusion  and 
excitement  conntcted  with  th'^  embarkation   had   scarcely 


V 


'  '      ', 

J  i    : ' ! 

1 

ii '    i 

i-  r 


'.■;. 


S: 


i  'A 


If:  a 


lliii 


218 


ACADIA 


ill  ! 


subsided,  when  the  Provinciak  were  ftppallofl  at  the  work 
of  ti'oir  own  liuiids.  Tlio  uovoltj  and  pecuhurity  of  tluir 
situation  could  not  but  forctj  itself  u]ion  the  attentiou  of 
evL'u  the  uniefleciing  boldiery  of  Acadia:  stationed  in  the 
xaiilst  of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  coiintry,  they  suddenly  fxiud 
t'i»-niselveb  without  a  foe  to  subdue,  and  without  a  popula- 
tion to  piotci t.  The  volumes  of  snioko  which  the  half- 
expiring  einbcns  emitted,  while  they  marked  the  site  of  the 
pea- ant's  humble  cottage,  bore  testimony  to  the  extent  of 
the  work  of  destruction.  For  several  successive  eveninj^s 
the  rattle  asHonibled  round  tlie  smoldering  ruins,  as  if  in 
anxious  expectation  of  tljc  return  of  their  nms'ters ;  while  all 
the  i:ight  hmg  the  faithful  watch-doi^s  of  the  Neutials  howled 
over  the  scene  of  desolation,  and  mourned  alike  the  hand 
that  liad  fed,  and  the  house  that  liad  slieltered  them. 

Five  years  after  these  events,  some  emigrants  from  Con- 
necticut* were  persuaded  by  the  Colonial  authorities  to  em- 
igrate to  this  spot.  They  mention  the  scene  of  desolation 
that  met  their  view,  as  defying  all  efforts  at  description. 
The  ground  was  then  whitened  with  the  bleaching  bones  of 
the  famished  flocks  and  heids  of  the  Neutrals,  being  actual- 
ly found  in  heaps  in  sheltered  })lact:S  bordering  the  adjacent 
woods;  the  blackened  ruins  of  their  habitations  still  diofig- 
ured  the  landscape  on  every  hand  ;  and  eveu  portions  of  the 
carts  that  conveyed  the  Neutrals  and  their  eliects  to  tiie 
place  of  embarkation,  were  still  moldering  on  the  shoies. 
But  the  most  moving  spectacle  was  some  huuian  beings  who 
had  been  hid  in  the  woods,  and  had  not  tasted  bread  for  live 
years.  In  the  famished  and  forlorn  condition  tJiey  were  in, 
it  was  with  difficulty  they  could  be  lured  frojn  their  retreat; 
but  at  ienyth  the  fnendiy  ba.iavior  of  the  new  settlers  pre- 
vailed against  the  overwiielmmg  I'ear  they  iiad  of  the  Eng- 
lish. 


*iMii>.  iiate  ^Vi^iams. 


^^^ 

1 

i  i 

• 

'?, 

^ 

.laBMBiL     :f;(  jIH 

■nm 

s: 

Biff^^"*v[^lB&               ^^^^^1 

^Htj^^HF^H 

Sr^ 

nBUft                   ^^^^B^^^                      ^  H^^^^l 

^^HI^^Bk^^H 

o 

tr" 

^^^^8^Sb^^—       V^         J^m                           ll^^^^l 

^^^^^Hk  \  '^^^^^f  J^^^^^^H 

s 

D^^QESiB   A         «H 

^^^■^iflw^^^H 

ii 


^ 


i 


m 


I 


1^ 


H  ii 


I'" 


n  n 


EXPULSION  OP  THE  FBEJfCH  NKUTBAtS 


2id 


Goverjior  Lawi-ence  fuinislied  the  master  of  each  of  the 
transports  containing  the  Neutrals,  with  a  circulav  letter  di- 
rected to  the  Governor  of  the  colony  to  which  the  vf^sel, 
with  its  living  cargo,  was  destined.  As  this  letter  contains 
the  Governor's  vindication  of  his  act  of  extirpatin^j  a  people, 
it  is  given  entire. 


l!-.' 


"The  success  that  has  attended  his  Majesty's  arms  in  diiv- 
ing  the  French  from  the  encoachments  they  had  made  in 
this  Province,  furnished  me  with  a  favorable  opportunity  of 
reducing  the  French  inhabitants  of  this  colony  to  a  proper 
obedience  to  his  Majesty's  government,  or  foroini^f  them  to 
quit  the  country.  These  inhabitants  were  permitted  to  re- 
Giain  in  quiet  possession  of  their  lands  upon  condition  they 
should  take  the  oath  of  allepianre  to  the  King  within  one 
year  after  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  by  which  this  Province  was 
ceded  to  Great  Britain ;  with  this  condition  they  have  ever 
refused  to  comply,  without  having  at  the  same  time  from  the 
Governor  an  assurance  in  writing  that  they  should  not  up 
called  upon  to  bear  arms  in  defense  of  the  Province;  and 
wi.;h  this  Geneial  Phil  ips  did  comply,  of  whicii  step  his  ^laj- 
4sty  disapproved  :  and  the  inhabitants  pretending  thereaom 
to  be  in  a  state  of  Neutrality  between  his  Majesty  and  his 
enemies,  have  continually  furnished  the  Frenc.i  and  Indians 
with  intelligence,  quarters,  provisions  and  assistance  in  an- 
noying the  government;  and  while  one  part  have  abetted 
the  Fiench  encroachments  by  their  treachery,  the  other  have 
countenanced  them  bj'  open  rebellion,  and  tnree  hundred  of 
them  were  actuailj'  found  in  arms  in  the  French  Fort  at 
Beausojour  when  it  surrendered* 

"  Notwithstanding  all  their  former  bad  behavior,  as  his 
Majesty  was  pleased  to  allow  me  to  extend  still  .  vther  his 
Royal  grace  to  such  as  would  return  to  their  duty.  I  offered 
Huch  of  them  as  had  not  been  opemy  iu  arms  against  us,  a 


'Governor  Lawnmce  dot;s  not  seem  to  name  any  spccilic  instances  in 
whicL  tlie  iubabilants  '.ere  fnimd  guilty  in  having  "abetted  the  French 
encroachments  by  their  tienchery,"  but  only  prefers  a  general  charge 
against  t.heni.  He  also  ci'es  the  finding  of  three  hundred  Neutral.-,  in 
ornis  at  Beanspjoiir  as  a  reason  for  expelling  the  whole  of  them  from  the 
tci'i'ilory,  iihat  the  Jii^ngliyh  had  agreed  to  paiduu  the  oll'eobe. 


lUi: 


i'  ^i\r\ 


h  :.i 


220 


ACADIA 


':■    I 


continuance  of  the  possession  of  their  lands,  if  they  would 
take  the  oath  of  alle<i;iaii('e,  unquaUtied  with  any  leservatiou 
whatever;  bat  this  tiiey  huv^  moht  aadaciously  us  well  as 
unauiniously  refused,  and  if  they  would  pvosiuuo  to  do  this 
when  there  is  a  large  tleet  of  ships  of  wai*  in  the  harbor,  and 
a  ooasiderabie  land  force  in  the  Province,  what  niiyht  we 
not  txpect  from  them  when  the  approat-hinj;;' winter  deprives 
us  o;  the  former,  and  when  the  troops  whicli  are  only  hired 
from  New  En:;]and  occasionally  and  for  a  bmail  time,  have 
returned  home. 

•'As  by  this  behavior  the  inhabitants  have  forfeited  all 
title  to  their  lands  and  auy  further  favor  from  the  govern- 
ment, I  called  together  his  Majesty's  Council,  at  which  the 
Hon.  Vice- Admiral  Boscawen  and  Eear-Adniiral  Mostyii  as- 
sisted, to  consider  by  what  means  we  could  with  the  great- 
est sucurifcy  and  efTect  rid  ourselves  of  a  set  of  people  who 
would  forever  have  been  an  obstruction  to  the  intention  of 
settling  this  colony  and  that  it  was  now  from  their  refusal 
of  the  oath  absolutely  incumbent  on  us  to  remove. 

•'As  their  numbers  auKnint  to  near  seven  thousand  per- 
sons, the  driving  them  off  witli  leave  to  go  whither  they 
pleased  would  doubtless  have  ptrciigthened  CaJiada  with  so 
considerable  a  number  of  inhabitants,  and  as  they  have  no 
Ci'jared  land  to  give  tin  in  at  pr(  sent,  sue!)  as  are  able  to 
boar  arms  mi<;ht  have  been  immediately  employed  in  annoy- 
iiig  this  and  the  neighboring  colonies.  To  prevent  such  an 
iiiconvonienco  it  was  judged  a  necessary  au'.l  the  only  piac- 
ticable  measure  to  divide  them  among  the  Colojiies  wliere 
they  may  be  of  some  use,  as  most  of  them  are  healthy, 
i-trong  people;  and  as  they  cannot  easily  collect  themscives 
together  again  it  will  be  out  of  their  power  to  do  any  mis- 
chief, and  they  may  become  prolitablo  and  it  is  possible,  xa 
time,  faithful  subjects. 

"  As  tliis  step  was  indispensably  necessary  to  the  securi- 
ty of  this  colony  upon  whose  preservation  trom  trench  en- 
croachments the  prosperity  of  Nortli  Ameiica  is  esteemed 
iij  a  great  measure  dependent,  1  have  not  the  least  reason  to 
doubt  of  Your  Excellency's  concurrence,  and  that  you  will 
receive  the  inhabitants  1  now  send  you  and  dispose  of  theiu 
in  such  a  luanner  as  may  best  answer  our  design  in  prevent- 
ing their  reuniuu." 


EXrOLSIOlS  OF  TUi:  FRENCH  NEUTRALS 


Tet  another  indignity  was  offered  the  biolcen-lieaited 
French.  They  had  all  along  plead  to  be  allowed  the  uiiuis- 
tralions  of  their  priests — priziug  that  privilege  as  the  higli- 
«;st  boon  that  could  be  granted.  We  fmd  the  following  in  a 
letter  of  Goveinoi- Lawrence  to  Board  of  Trade:  "As  the 
tluee  French  piicsts,  Chevereuil,  Daadin  andLe  ilaire,  were 
of  no  further  use  in  this  province  after  the  removal  of  the 
French  inhabitants,  ACmiral  Eo.'-cawen  has  been  so  good 
as  to  take  them  on  board  of  his  fleet  and  is  to  give  them  a 
passage  to  England,"  We  now  leave  the  exiles  of  Grand 
Pie,  stowed  away  in  over-crowded  vessels,  tempest-tost  and 
<lespairing,  farni.y  ties  broken,  bound  to  distant  lands  they 
knew  not  of,  while  we  turn  to  the  events  transpiring  in  oth- 
er parts  of  Acadia. 

The  English  did  not  meet  with  like  success  at  other  points, 
in  their  scheme  to  take  a  nation  captive.  At  Cumberland, 
tlie  inhabitants  were  suspicious  of  something  wrong,  and 
fled  to  the  woods  on  the  approach  of  the  troops.  This  did 
not  prevent  the  burning  of  their  dwellings;  the  Etjgash  lost 
twenty-nine  men  in  an  attempt  to  burn  a  papist  chapel.  We 
will  let  Speakman,  the  officer  in  command,  tell  his  own  story. 


Camp  Cumberland,  5tli  September,  1755. 
I  am  sorry  my  first  letter  should  be  the  bearer  of  such 
melancholy  news,  as  the  defeat  of  a  part  of  a  detachment 
at'ut  out  under  INlajor  Frye,  who  sailed  from  this  place  with 
Captiiin  Brentna),  myself  and  Mr.Endicott,  Dr.  March  and 
Lieutenant  Billings,  and  two  hundred  men,  to  bur"  the 
buildings  at  bhepody,  Piziquid  and  Memramcook,  ar.  I'ter 
'■.i,\ing  burned  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  bu  Iciings  at 
niiepody,  we  sailed  on  the  3d  instant.  After  sailing  up  i'et- 
itcoaiac  river,  and  burned  on  both  sides  the  river  all  tlie 
ii'oiuing,  about  one  o'clock  Colonel  Fiye  ordered  Captain 
Ada;  js  to  come  to  anchor,  and  land  his  men  opi  osiLe  tue 
i.it"ss-liouse,  in  order  to  burn  a  small  village  be.ow  it,  and 
join  Mr.  Eudicott  and  Lieut.  Billings  with  sixty  men.  Ac- 
cordingly I  and  Dr.  Maich  went  on  shore  with  a  paitj',  but 


22:! 


ACATTTA 


by  rf  ason  of  the  clifficnlty  of  latiflinjr,  vms  oblfoie  J  to  marcb 
with  twenty  tneo,  ten  of  which  Dr.  March  took  with  him, 
though  contraiy  to  orders,  and  went  to  the  village  in  order 
to  burn  the  mess-house.  When  Mr.  Endicott's  party  joiued 
him,  and  befoie  they  could  g'et  the  mess-house  on  fire,  tiiey 
weie  beset  by  above  three  hundred  French  and  Indians,  ati(J 
our  men,  being  straggung^  about,  were  soon  defeated.  Dr. 
March  and  five  or  six  privates  certainly  killed ;  wa  hatl  elev- 
en luore  wounded,  among  whom  is  Lieutenant  BilliDg.s,  who- 
is  badly  wounded,  having  received  a  shot  through  his  icffc 
aruj,  and  another  through  his  body,  which  is  looked  upon 
as  dangerous.  I  was  in  a  small  village  adjoining,,  and  nad 
Bet  lire  to  the  houses  just  as  I  heard  the  attack,,  and  repaiitd 
to  the  niavsh  and  joined  them,  but  before  I  got  there  the 
most  of  the  men  had  left  their  ofl&cers,  and  with  difScu.iy 
it  was  we  got  Mr,  Biiiiugs  awayj  our  powder  was  wet,  and 
little  ot  it  J  no  waver  and  but  two  dsiji^J  pruvisiousy  obliged 
us  to  retiun  wit^  *.,t  nvooeediiig  any  farther,  after  baiUiiig 
two  hundred  and  ^  ree  buildings  with  i\  large  quar.ricy 

of  wheat  and  liax.  peopie  here  are  m;ich  coucerued  f(jr 

ferir  of  your  party  met  ..ig  tne  sama  fate,  bei^ig  in  theiieart 
of  a  numerous  and  devilinii  cievv,  whicn  I  piuy  God  avei  t. 

THoaiAa  SSpiiAiijiAK. 
To  the  Hon.  John  Winslow, 
Commander  at  Minas. 


i  . 


At  Annapolis  the  proclamation  was  disobej-ed ;  the  inhab- 
itants were  apprehensive  that  some  harm  was  intended  thain, 
and  like  tliose  at  Cumberland,  had  taken  vefuge  in  the  neigh- 
boring woods.  When  the  ships  arrived  to  convey  theiu 
from  their  country,  a  party  of  soldiers  was  sent  on  shore  to 
bring  them  in,  who  found  all  the  houses  deserted.  Haii- 
bnrton  su^s  he  was  told  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  occurrence, 
that  the  houses  and  barn.-}  on  the  Annapolis  River  weie 
burned.  He  also  speaks  of  a  woman  living  at  the  time  timi 
be  wrote  of  Nova  Scotia,  who  was  with  her  parents  wnen 
they  delivered  themselves  up  to  the  Commandant  at  Annap. 
oiia.  and  who  gave  a  most  aft'ecting  narrative  of  their  suffer- 
ings iuid  the  diiugers  to  which  they  were  exposed.     Hunger, 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FBSNCH  NEUTRALa 


223 


fa*^igue,  and  distress,  finally  compelled  many  of  them  to  re- 
turn and  surrender  themselves  prisoners ;  somo  retired  deep- 
er into  the  depths  of  the  forest,  where  they  encamped  with 
the  Indians ;  while  others  wandered  through  the  trackless 
woods  to  Chigiieoto,  and  so  escaped  ii::to  Canada. 

It  would  apjjcar  that  no  misfortune  was  too  great  for 
this  people  to  endure.  While  wai*  and  pillage  had  been  go- 
ing on  around  them  for  nearly  hau'  a  century,  their  pecii:iar 
situation  had  enabled  them  to  avoid  taking  part  on  either 
side.  As  a  result,  they  had  rapidly  increased  in  wealth  and 
numbers,  through  the  benign  iuflaences  of  a  life  of  industry 
und  peace:  now  a  sad  change  had  come  over  their  fortunes. 
Though  the  people  had  eluJ.ed  the  Engli'-U  soldiery,  they 
saw  their  barns  destroyed,  their  crops  of  grain  and  flax  con- 
sumed, their  houses  burned  and  provisions  wasted ;  they 
found  themselves  reduced  to  the  alternative  of  a  winter 
journey  into  Canada,  a  life  among  the  Indians,  or  the  un- 
certai.i  fate  of  prisoners  among  a  people,  aliens  in  customs 
and  in  religion.  An  adverse  fate  seemed  to  await  them,  no 
matter  which  course  they  might  choose.  The  sufferings  of 
the  women  and  children,  ill-provided  with  clothing  and  pro- 
visions, exposed  to  the  autumnal  storms  and  the  perils  of  a 
life  in  the  wilderness,  were  said  to  defy  description. 

General  Winslow  remained  some  time  in  the  Province  af- 
ter the  sailing  of  the  expatriated  Acadiaus.  Various  apolo- 
gies have  been  ofifered  for  his  share  in  the  cruel  business. 
It  is  claimed  he  was  a  soldier,  whose  duty  is  to  obey  the  or- 
der of  his  superior.  He,  by  an  artifice,  had  entrapped  over 
lour  hundred  unarmed  peasants,  against  whom,  as  individu- 
als, no  chai'ge  was  preferred ;  when  these  were  helplessly 
within  his  power,  he  threatened  them  with  military  execu- 
tion unless  others,  who  had  so  far  eluded  his  grasp,  were 
inmiediately  forthcoming ;  and  lastly,  he  had  violated  his 
**word  of  honor  as  a  soldier,"  for  he  had  pledged  "that 
whole  families  should  go  in  the  same  vessel."    Doubtless 


I 


U 


^ 


i  I    !li 


*''■!  f 


i ! 


TU 


ACAOTA 


he  thought  hiinsolf  entitled  to,  and  expected,  consirTeration 
at  the  hands  of  the  authorities  of  the  Province,  for  the  part 
he  had  acted.  On  the  coiitrar^v  his  subsequent  sojourn 
there  was  embittered  by  the  ungrateful  treatment  he  re- 
ceived fi'om  Governor  Lawrence,  who  made  no  scrup'e  to 
tiansfsr  troops  from  his  command  to  recruic  the  Hahi'ax 
garrison.  Winslow'^s  expostulations,  were  treated  with  cool 
contempt*,  and  in  his  journal  he  prophesied  "  it  will  be  the 
last  New  England  force  ever  inarched  into  Nova  Scotia  to 
defend  their  rights." 

As  a  portion  of  the  several  cargoes  of  tbe  expatriated  peo- 
ple of  Grand  Pie  were  consigned  to  Boston,  the  home  of 
W'insiow,  he  luust  have  been  frequently  reminded  of  his 
work,  as  he  beheld,  in  his  daily  walks,  the  mute  sufferings 
of  the  exiles  as  they  dragged  out  their  hopeless,  helpless 
existence.  Tradition  says  that  temporary  shelter  was  pre- 
pared for  thorn  on  Boston  Commonr  where  they  were  recip- 
ients of  such  charity  as  chance  threw  in  their  way.  Dis- 
ease and  wr.nt  put  a  speedy  end  to  the  unhappy  lives  of 
mauy :  others  become  gradually  absorbed  into  the  surround- 
ing population. 

VN  inslow  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-three,  his  death  oc- 
curring a  short  time  jsrevious  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution- 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Winslow's  family  were  among 
the  refugees  that  were  forced  to  flee  to  Nova  Scotia — the 
soil  from  whence  «  ir  ancestor  had  assisted  in  driving  out 
the  Neutrals  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  ;  while  a  descend- 
ant of  the  exiled  Acadians,  General  Sullivan,  became  a  dis- 
thigu:shed  p;ttri''>t.  ^ 

History  is  replete  with  instances  of  the  readiness  of  man, 
in  every  degree  of  enlightenment,  to  lay  down  his  life  in 
defense  of  his  right  to  worship  God  as  he  chooses: — the 
Neulrals  were  denied  the  services  of  their  priests,  when  such 
deprivation  meant,  according  to  the  light  of  their  faith,  the 
loss  of  their  hope  of  happiness  in  the  world  to  come. 


EXPTTLSTON  OT  THT!  FRSITCH  SEnTRHLS 


225 


When  a  sipffle  household  has  been  stripped  of  shelter  and 
effects  by  a  sudden  unavoidnble  ca^nmity,  the  occasion  is 
one  that  calls  forth  the  sympathy  ol'  the  v/hole  comnuicity. 
Here  we  have  hundreds  of  P're;ich  exiles,  who  had  lost  all, 
by  a  common  calamity,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of 
those  in  authority. 

Many  a  mother  has  clasped  her  babe  more  clo-^oly  to  her 
breast  as  she  has  recalled  the  civciimsiances,  yet  fresh  in 
the  mind  of  every  reader,  of  those  anxious  i^arents,  who,  for 
80  many  long  j'ears  have  been  wearily  searching  for  their 
kidnapped  boy,  until  their  forLuue  is  spont,  and  their  fore- 
h*"ads  have  become  wrinkled  with  tbe  living  sorrow:  the  fate 
of  those  parents  but  illustrates  the  experience  of  those  of  tbe 
Neutrals,  who  passed  their  lives  in  searching  for  meuib3rs 
of  their  families  which  had  been  purposely  scattered  to  pre- 
vent their  reunion. 

The  banishment  from  one's  country  has  ever  been  ad- 
judged one  of  the  most  severe  penalties  known  in  juris- 
prudence: this,  and  the  other  extremes  of  human  misery, 
the  poor  exiled  Acadians  suffered,  by  the  voluntary  acts  of 
inen  differing  only  in  language  a?Kl  lei'giou. 

We  will  append  a  few  opiirions  from  standard  historical 
authorities,  aud  close  the  chapter.  The  first  is  from  Boll's 
translation  of  Garneau: 

British  agents  treated  them  with  the  greatest  rigor;  tbe 
tribunals,  by  flagrant  violations  of  the  law,  by  systematic 
denials  of  justice,  had  become,  for  the  peop.e,  objects  of 
terror  and  hatred.  The  pettiebC  jaek-in-ofSce  became  a 
despot  for  them.  "If  you  fail  to  supp'y  my  men  with  fuel, " 
said  a  certain  Captain  Murray,  "I  will  demolish  your  houses 
and  make  tirewood  of  them."  "If  ycu  don't  take  the  oath 
of  fidelity,"  added  Govei-nor  Hobson,  "I  will  batter  your 
villages  with  my  cannon."  Nothing  conld  tempt  the  honor- 
abls  minds  of  Acadians  to  take  an  oatli  of  fealty  to  aliens, 
repugnant  to  their  consciences ;  an  oath  which,  it  was  and 


Pi 


>■■, 


W' 


I  . 


II 


.  f 


IH 


226 


ACADIA 


li   " 


is  the  opinion  of  many,  Eritaiu  had  no  right  to  exact.  The 
Acadians  were  not  British  subjects,  for  they  had  not  sworn 
fidelity:  therefore  they  were  not  liable  to  be  treated  as  reb- 
els ;  neither  ought  they  to  be  considered  prisoners  of  war 
or  rightly  be  transportable  to  France,  since,  duiing  half  a 
century,  they  had  been  left  in  possession  of  their  lands  on 
the  simple  condition  of  remaining  neutral.  But  numerous 
adventurers,  j^reedy  incomers,  looked  upon  their  fair  farms 
with  covetous  eyes.  Smolderuig  cupidity  soon  burst  into 
flame.  Keasous  of  state  polity  were  soon  called  in  to  justi- 
fy the  total  expulsion  of  the  Acadians  from  Nova  Scotia. — 
Although  the  far  greater  number  of  them  had  done  no  act 
which  could  be  construed  into  a  breach  of  neutrality,  yet, 
in  the  horrible  catastrophe  preparing  for  them,  the  inno- 
cent and  the  guilty  were  to  be  involved  in  a  common  perdi- 
tion. 

In  "AValsh's  Appeal"  we  find  the  following:  Seven  thou- 
sand of  the  obnoxious  community  were  torn  from  their  rus- 
tic hones,  and  transported  in  a  way  wortliy  of  being  com- 
pared with  the  ''middle  passage."  .  .  No  proof  has  ever 
been  produced, — none  exists,  to  support  the  charges  which 
Entick  prefers  against  the  sufferers — of  having  engaged  to 
join  the  French  troops,  and  refused  absolutely  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  sovereign.  On  the  other 
hand,  their  own  allegations,  as  he  reports  them,  and  which 
gives  them  strong  titles  to  respect,  are  upheld  by  the  tenor 
of  the  otficial  declarations  of  the  British  authorities  in  Nova 
Scotia,  who  pleaded,  little  more  in  substance,  than  the  pos- 
itive orders  of  their  government,  and  a  supposed  overrujing 
necessity,  as  regarded  the  more  secure  dominion  of  that  ter- 
ritory. Their  descendants  received  universally  from  them 
the  same  tale  of  injustice  and  woe.  It  is  consigned  in  the 
petition  which  they  transmitted  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
King  of  Great  Britain,  and  which  bears  intrinsic  evidence, 
too  «itroug  to  be  resisted  by  a  feeaug  uud  unprejudiced  read- 


EXPULSION  OF  THE  FBENCH  NEUTRALS 


2-"; 


■  .i] 


er,  of  the  truth  of  all  the  details.*  To  complete  the  histo- 
ry' I  onght  to  add,  that  uo  attention  whatever  was  paid  to 
their  prayer  either  for  immediate  redress,  or  a  judicial 
hearing. 

Says  Haliburton :  Upon  an  impartial  review  of  the  trans- 
actions of  the  period,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  transpor- 
tation of  the  /.cadians  to  distant  colonies  with  a'l  the  marks 
of  ignominy  and  guilt  peculiar  to  convicts,  was  cruel:  and 
although  such  a  conclusion  could  not  then  be  drawn,  yet 
subsequent  events  have  disclosed  that  their  expulsion  was 
unnecessary.  It  .se.^ms  totally  irreconcilable  with  the  idea 
of  justice  entertained  at  this  day,  that  those  who  are  not  in- 
volved in  the  guilt  shall  participate  in  the  punishment;  or 
that  a  whole  community  shall  safFer  for  the  misconduct  of 
a  part.  It  is,  doubtless,  a  stain  on  the  Provincial  Councils, 
and  we  shall  not  attempt  to  justify  that  which  all  good  men 
have  agreed  to  condemn. 


•The  render  i8  referred  to  this  petition,  fokpti  from  the  dranrht  in  the 
haudwriliug  of  iieuezet,  coiumeuciiig  on  page  367  of  this  volume. 


i 


THE  FRENCH  NEUTRALS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


'I 


m 


On  the  19th  and  20th  of  November,  1755,  three  veesela 
appeared  in  the  JDelaware,  and  dropped  anchor  belo'v  Phil- 
adelphia. Tiiey  were  the  JIunna/i,  the  2'hree  Friends,  and 
the  iSwan, — the  same  vessels  that,  over  two  months  before, 
had  leceived  their  liviug  caigoes  at  the  Port  Royallaudiiig 
in  the  Basin  of  Annapolis.  One  of  them,  say  the  newspa- 
pers oi  the  day,  came  up  to  town  but  was  immediately  or- 
dered back.  Governor  Morris,  it  seems,  was  thrown  into  a 
tenibie  alaim,  and  on  the  day  the  first  cargo  of  them  ai'- 
rived,  he  wrote  to  Governor  Shu'ley: 

"Two  vessels  are  arrived  here  with  upwards  of  three 
hundred  Neutral  French  from  Nova  Scotia,  whom  Governor 
Lawrence  has  sent  to  remain  in  this  Province,  and  I  am  at 
a  very  great  loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  them.  The  peo- 
ple here,  as  there  is  no  military  force  of  any  kind,  are  very 
uneasy  at  the  thought  of  having  a  number  of  enemies  scat- 
tered in  the  very  bowels  of  the  cour.try,  who  may  go  off 
from  time  to  time  with  intelligence,  and  join  thdr  country- 
men now  employed  against  us,  or  foment  some  intestine 
commotion  in  conjunction  with  the  Irish  and  German  Cath- 
olics, in  this  and  the  neighboring  Province.  I,  therefore, 
must  beg  your  particular  instructions  in  what  manner  I  may 
best  dispose  of  these  people,  as  I  am  desirous  of  doing  any 
thing  that  may  contribute  to  his  Majesty's  service.  I  have, 
in  the  meantime,  put  a  guard  out  of  the  recruiting  parties 


w, 


THE  FBEXCH  XEUTR\LS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 


229 


now  in  town,  on  board  of  each  vessel,  and  ordered  these 
Neutrals  to  be  supplied  with  provisions,  which  must  be  ut 
the  expense  of  the  Ciown,  as  I  hava  no  i'rovincial  money  ia 
my  hands;  for  this  service  I  have  praviiiled  on  Capt.  Mor- 
ris, who  is  recruitiLg  here  for  Colonel  Dunbar's  regiment, 
to  postpone  sending  oflF  his  recruits  till  I  could  hear  froui 
you  upon  the  head,  which  I  hope  to  do  by  the  return  of  the 
post." 

Governor  Morris  found  at  least  one  man  who  shared  his 
misgivings  touching  this  untoward  visit  of  the  exiles.  This 
was  Jonathan  Bex-ijer,  Chief  Magistrate  of  New  Jf-rsey,  fatli- 
ther  of  Jonathan  Belcher,  Chief  Justice  of  Nova  Scotia,  and 
member  of  the  Council  of  that  Province,  who  had,  by  iu3 
stern  opinion  that  they  were  "rebels"  and  "recusants," 
fixtd  the  doom  of  that  people.  The  elder  Lelcher  wriics 
Morris  as  fodows : 

"I  am  truly  surprised  how  it  could  ever  enter  the  thoughts 
of  those  who  had  the  ordering  of  tho  Fren(!h  Neutrals,  or 
rather  traitors  and  rebels  to  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain,  to 
direct  any  of  the.n  into  these  Provinces,  where  we  have  al- 
ready too  great  a  number  of  foreigners  for  our  own  good 
and  safety.  I  think  they  should  have  been  transported  di- 
rectly to  old  France,  and  I  entu'ely  coincide  with  your  hon- 
or that  these  people  would  readily  join  with  the  Irish  Pa- 
pists, &c.,  to  the  ruin  and  destruction  of  the  King's  Colo- 
nies, and  should  any  attempt  to  land  here  [El'.zabethtown], 
I  should  think,  in  duty  to  the  King  and  to  his  good  people 
under  my  care,  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  crush  an  attem^'it." 

History  does  not  record  that  a  cargo  of  French  Neutrals 
was  ever  received  in  New  Jersey  ! 

The  bitter  struggle  between  Protestantism  and  Roman- 
ism, which  had  convulsed  the  Old  World,  and  deluged  it 
with  the  most  noble  blood  of  the  time;  the  numerous  and 
sanguinary  wars  between  the  Georges  and  the  Loui-^s  in 
Euiope,  and  which  were  shared  by  theii*  respective      .T-iies 


iiiiil| 


. 


I  ^1 

m 


I   1 1 


:l 


280 


ACAWTA 


hi  America;  and  finally,  the  actual  association  of  French 
Papists  atnl  ravages  on  the  frontiers  of  tlie  English  settle- 
nicuts,  and  who  were  at  this  time  advancing  in  victorious 
array  within  three  hundred  miles  of  Philadelphia,  Imd  bo  af* 
fccted  the  minds  of  the  Protestant  English  colonists,  that 
they  looked  upon  Indians  and  French  Papists  alike,  with  a 
feeing  of  horror.  A  gentleman  of  Philadelphia  gave  but  a 
mild  expression  of  the  public  sentiment  when  he  wrote, — 
•'May  God  be  pleased  to  give  us  success  against  all  our 
copper-colored  cannibals  and  French  savages,  equally  cruel 
and  perfidious  in  their  natures." 

A  short  time  before  the  arrival  of  the  exiles,  the  following 
was  pubiished  in  the  Philadelphia  papers,  under  date  of 
Ha.ifax:  **A  few  days  since,  three  Frenchmen  were  tuken 
up  and  imprisoned  on  suspicion  of  having  poisoued  some 
wells  in  this  neighborhood.  They  are  not  tried  yet,  and 
it's  imagined  if  they  are  convicted  thereof,  they  will  have 
but  a  few  hours  to  live  after  they  are  once  condemned." 

The  manifest  hatred  and  prejudgment  exhibited  in  this 
brief  paragraph,  while  it  argues  the  poor  fellows  stood  but 
a  poor  chance  whether  guilty  or  innocent,  as  plainly  shows 
the  condition  of  public  sentiment  at  that  time.  Were  i* 
not  that  these  accounts  are  fully  sub.stautiated  by  incontro- 
vertible evidence,  they  could  scarcely  be  credited,  so  strange- 
ly do  they  sound  since  national  prejudice  and  religious  in- 
tolerance have  been  dissipated  before  the  light  of  knowl- 
edge and  the  benign  influence  of  the  Gospel. 

It  appears  more  incredulous  and  unaccountable  still  from 
the  fact  that  a  complete  reversion  of  pubuc  sentiment  in 
this  particular  occurred  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Washington  had  scarcely  appeared  in  the  Kevolutionary 
camp  at  Boston,  when  he  found  preparations  being  made 
for  burning  the  Pope  in  effigy.  His  memorable  order  of 
November  5th  had  the  effect  of  putting  an  end  to  the  cus- 
tom of  "  insulting  the  religion  "  of  brethren  and  co-workers. 


THE  FRENCH  NtUTn.M.S  IN  PENXSTLVANIA 


231 


When  the  French  fleet  arrived  at  Newport,  Uhode  Islatid, 
to  aid  the  cauao  of  the  colonists,  the  Le;;isl;itiiro  made  all 
liaste  to  repeal  a  law  on  her  Btatute-book  forbiddin;^  a  llo- 
man  Catholic  to  put  foot  upon  her  soil  iindor  pain  of  death. 
At  Boston,  a  funeral  proce^ision  traversed  the  streets,  wifh 
a  crucifix  at  its  head  and  priests  solemnly  chantin;^;  wliiie 
the  selectmen  of  Puritan  Boston  joined  in  the  cceinony, 
giving  this  public  mai'k  of  respect  to  the  faith  of  their  al- 
lies. . 

On  the  24th  of  November,  Governor  Morris  made  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Neutrals  the  subject  of  a  special  message  to  the 
Assembly,  inforniiug  them  he  did  not  think  it  safe  to  per- 
mit them  to  land  ;  but  that  a  contagious  disease  having  bro- 
ken out  on  board  ship,  some  of  them  were  sent  on  shore  on 
Province  Island. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  Assembly  of  that  Province,  the  fol- 
lowing entry  is  made :  "  Antony  Beuezet,  attending  with- 
out, was  called  in  and  informed  the  Huu.se  that  he  had,  at 
the  request  of  some  of  the  members,  isited  the  French  Neu- 
trals now  on  board  sundry  vessels  in  the  river,  near  the  city, 
and  found  that  they  were  in  great  need  of  blankets,  shirts, 
stockings,  and  other  necessaries ;  and  he  then  withdrew, 
(whereupon)  Resolved,  That  this  House  will  allow  such  rea- 
sonable expenses  as  the  said  Benezet  may  be  put  to  in  fur- 
nishing the  Neutral  French  now  in  the  Province." 

Thus  we  have  no  less  evidence  than  a  Legislative  record, 
that  the  poor  exiles  of  Nova  Scotia  were  suffering  for  the 
necessaries  of  life,  who  had  not  known  before  what  want 
was  ;  that  their  continued  close  confinement  had  caused  an 
alarming  disease  to  break  out  on  their  vessels,*  demanding 
their  instant  removal,  but  the  Governor  of  the  Province  was 


*  The  Neutrals  were  kept  on  board  from  the  middle  of  September  to  the 
close  of  November,  not  fur  short  of  three  months,  with  a  meaner  diet  of 
poi'k  and  flour,  without  ever  once  being  permitted  to  put  foot  ou  land. 


"^ 


M 


m 


'1    (ff!   ^ 


il     !:1 


.1  ! 


^ 


i 


i 


m 


2.'T2 


AOAVTA 


afraid  to  let  them  land !  We  append  a  list  of  names  from  a 
Bubscriptiou  paper  circulated  in  Philadelphia  for  their  re- 
hef,  showing  how  clangerous  a  peopie  they  were  to  be  let 
loose  on  the  town.     The  list  runs  thus : 

"Widow  Landry,  blind  and  sickly;  her  daughter  Bonny, 
blind ;  Widow  Coprit,  has  a  cancer  in  her  breast ;  Widow 
Seville,  always  sickly  ;  Ann  LeBlanc,  old  and  sickly ;  Wid- 
ow LeBlanc,  foolish  and  sickly  •,  the  two  youngest  orphan 
children  of  Philip  MelanQoa  ;  three  orphan  ciiiidren  of  Paul 
Bujauld,  the  eldest  sickly,  a  boy  foolish,  and  a  girl  with  an 
infirmity  in  her  mouth ;  Baptist  Galerm's  foolish  child ;  Jo- 
seph Vincent,  in  a  consumption ;  Widow  Gautram,  sickly, 
with  a  young  child ;  Joseph  Eenoit,  old  and  sickly ;  Peter 
Brassay,  has  a  rupture;  Peter  Vincent,  himself  and  wife 
sickly — three  children,  one  blind,  one  very  young,  &c."  Id 
these  brief  paragraphs  we  find  evidences  of  the  intensity  of 
their  suflFerings  on  shipboard  ;  and,  notwilhstandiug  the 
cliaritabie  attentions  shown  tliem  after  their  arrival  in  Phil- 
adelphia, tbe  statement  is  made  that  more  than  one  half  of 
their  number  died  in  a  few  weeks. 

But  the  meagre  records  of  those  early  times  show  there 
was  another  influence  at  work,  which  was  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  exile.  We  refer  to  hereditary  national 
sympathies,  which  were  strong  enough  to  assert  themselves 
in  spite  of  the  rancor  of  religious  animosity,  and  work  in 
the  cause  of  humanity.  There  were  then,  in  Quaker  garb, 
living  in  Philadelphia,  men  of  the  French  race,  who  though 
HugLienots,  still  felt  kindly  to  Frenchmen  like  themselves. 
The  Benez'^ts  and  LeFevers,  of  Philadelphia,  came  from  the 
same  soil  as  did  the  Galerms  and  LeBlancs  of  Grand  Pre ; 
and  we  may  add,  the  Quaker  Huguenots  of  Philadelpliia,  by 
tlieir  acts  toward  their  exiied  brethren,  did  not  in  the  ieast 
tarnish  the  reputation  of  the  toliowers  of  William  Penn  for 
Christian  charity  and  unostentatious  benevolence.  The 
A.cadians,  in  their  first  memorial  to  the  Assembly,  were  con- 


'  I 


THE  FREXCn  NEUTR\L"  IN  PEXXSTLVANIA 


233 


etrained  to  say — "Blessed  bo  God  that  it  was  our  lot  to  be 
Bent  to  Pennsylvania,  where  onr  wants  liave  been  relieved, 
and  we  have,  in  every  respect,  been  treated  with  Christian 
benevolence  and  charity." 

The  Assen.bly  was  specially  convoked  early  in  FeL>ruary, 
1756,  and  on  the  11th,  attention  was  directed  to  the  Nuutra.a 
by  a  petition  from  ona  of  their  number,  Jeau  Baptiste  Ga- 
lerm.  This  document  contained  a  statement  of  the  causes 
which  led  to  their  exile,  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  the 
kindness  shown  them,  and  a  protestation  of  a  passive  loyal- 
ty (no  one  had  a  right  to  expect  more)  to  the  3ritish  Crown. 
So  modest  were  they  that  it  contained  no  prayer  for  sptii-itio 
assistance.  A  bill  was  passed  for  the  relief,  or,  as  its  rath- 
er ambiguous  title  expressed  it,  for  "  dispersing  "  the  in- 
habitants through  tiie  counties,  which  beja  ne  a  law  on  the 
5th  of  March.  By  the  provisions  of  this  act  the  Acaliana 
were  to  be  distributed  throughout  the  Province,  in  order 
"to  give  them  an  opportunity  of  exercising  tiieir  own  labor 
and  industry."  They  were  to  be  provide  I  ior  at  the  puh.ic 
expense,  while  nothing  like  a  separaaon  of  farailias  is  hint- 
e;i  at. 

The  French  Neutrals  exhibited  what  had  beon  termed  a 
species  of  "contumacy,"  though  they  claimed  t!iey  were  only 
asserting  their  just  rights,  which  contributed  not  a  little  to 
their  sufferings.  They  thought  that  by  refusing  to  Mork 
they  would  force  their  recognition  as  prisoners  of  war,  and 
as  Kuch,  be  entitled  to  be  exchanged  or  sent  back  to  France. 
This  attempt  failed  in  the  object  the  Acadians  had  in  view, 
and  made  the  duty  of  kindness  and  protection  on  the  part 
of  their  benefactors  not  aii  easy  one  :  many  were  unwilling 
to  help  themselves.  They  were  offered  land,  and  imple- 
ments to  cultivate,  and  cows  to  stock  it  witli ;  bnt  these  tuey 
refused  to  accept,  as  they  could  by  no  means  agree  to  set- 
tle there. 

One  cannot  read  the  memorials  of  those  people  without 


-11 

1; 


:h- 


" ' 


; 


234 


ACADIA 


being  deeply  moved  with  their  passionate  lonj^ings  for  their 
beloved  Acadia,  and  their  pathetic  appeals  to  be  restored  to 
liberty,  or  at  least  transported  to  France.  "We  humbly 
pray,"  say  they  to  the  Assembly,  "  that  you  would  extend 
your  goodness  so  far  as  to  give  us  leave  to  depart  irom 
hence,  or  be  pleased  to  send  us  to  our  nation,  or  anywhere 
to  join  our  country-people  ;  but  if  you  cannot  grant  us  these 
favors,  we  desire  that  provision  may  be  made  for  our  sub- 
sistence so  long  as  we  are  detained  here.*  If  this,  our  hum- 
ble request,  should  be  refused,  and  our  wives  and  childi'en 
be  suffered  to  perish  before  our  eyes,  how  grievous  wi  aS 
be! — had  we  not  better  have  died  iu  our  native  land?'" 

On  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  in  October,  1756,  there 
is  a  sad  revelation  on  its  records  of  the  sufferings  of  these 
poor  people, — made,  too,  not  by  them,  but  by  one  of  the 
Commissioners  appointed  to  take  care  of  them.  Disease 
and  death  had  been  busy  among  their  number.  Many  had 
died  of  small-pox ;  and  but  for  the  offices  of  a  kindly  «  har- 
ity,  many  more  would  have  perished  miserably.  The  o  'er- 
eeers  of  the  rural  townships  refused  to  receive  them — t  ley 
were  literally  the  dependants  of  the  Quaker  City.  The  prej- 
udice entertained  at  that  day  against  those  of  another  re- 
ligion, prevented  the  employment  of  such  of  the  Neutrals 
as  were  willing  to  work ;  and  the  petition  says,  "  many  of 
them  have  had  neither  bread  nor  meat  for  many  weeks  to- 
gether, and  been  necessitated  to  pilfer  and  steal  for  the  sup- 
port of  life." 


*  Those  who  would  jastify  the  forced  removal  of  the  Acadians,  and 
their  retention  among  a  strange  people,  would  do  well  to  explain  why  the 
principle  laid  down  in  this  memorial  is  nut  tuuuded  in  equity.  They  had 
committed  no  overt  act  making  them  amenable  to  the  civil  law,  and,  con- 
sequently, could  be  held  only  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  us  such  were  enti- 
tled, by  the  laws  of  war,  to  be  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  govern- 
ment 80  holding  them;  if  they  were  not  prisoners  of  war,  then  on  what 
giouuds  were  they  denied  the  Uberty  to  depuit,  agreeably  to  theii-  request? 


11 


THE  FEENCH  NEUTRALS  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 


235 


The  simple  Acadian  farmers,  who,  a  short  year  ago,  in 
their  once  happy  and  secluded  homes  dwe't  in  ease  and  were 
Bunounded  with  plenty,  were  becoming  mendicant  pilferers 
in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia.  Who  can  contemplate  the 
contrast  unmoved  ? 

This  appeal  resulted  in  the  passage  of  *vn  Act  for  binding 
out  and  settling  such  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia  as 
are  under  age,  and  for  maintaining  the  old,  sick,  and  maim- 
ed, at  the  charge  of  the  Province.  It  was  of  this  measure — 
the  compulsory  binding  out  of  the  children  to  learn  trades — 
that  the  exi.es  most  loudly  complained,  and  the  most  elab- 
orate remonstrance  that  is  to  be  found  on  the  records,  was 
induced  by  this  law.  The  key-note  of  this  appeal,  was  as 
before,  a  prayer  for  deliverance  from  captivity ; — a  prayer 
tiiat  was  destined  to  ba  answered  by  the  death-angel  alone. 

In  the  spring  of  17o7,  Pennsylvania  was  honored  by  the 
presence  of  the  new  Commander-in-Chief,  the  Earl  of  Lou- 
don. His  was  tiie  first  coronet  that  ever  shone  on  this  dis- 
tant and  simple  iand.  Doubtless  there  were  festivities  and 
rejoicings  when  he  came ;  but  all  this  while  the  poor  Neu- 
trals were  pining  away  in  misery — not  the  less  real  be- 
cause self-inflicted.  Say  the  legislative  recoids, — the  au- 
thorities were  instructed  by  the  assembly  to  act  for  their 
relief,  "  so  as  to  prevent  their  perishing  from  want." 

This  Lord  London  remained  only  a  few  days  in  Philadel- 
phia, yet  long  enough  to  show  by  his  acts  that  his  high  po- 
sition did  not  prevent  his  partaking  of  the  bigotry  of  the 
period,  and  to  exercise  his  elevated  function  in  office  in  heap- 
ing a  new  indignity  on  the  Neutrals.  He  found  it  neces- 
sary to  ascertain  the  exact  number  of  Eoa  ai  Catholics  in 
the  Province,  so  that  the  terrible  danger  from  this  source 
might  be  provided  against.  The  folUnving  answer,  returned 
to  Loudon  by  the  priest,  is  found  among  the  Colonial  Bee- 
ords : 


m 


■it  > 


.j'l 
i'!; 


'■\f. 


. 


''    'I 


r^^ 


23!) 


ACADIA 


M 


Honored  Sir: — I  send  j'ou  the  EUinbev  of  Koman  Catho- 
lics in  this  town,  jukI  of  those  whom  i  visit  in  thy  cou'itry. 
Mr.  Schiiiedev  is  not  in  town  to  give  an  iic-ouiir.  of  the  Grer- 
maiis,  but  I  have  lieard  him  often  say.  that  the  wiiole  nuni- 
bej-  oi  Konuiu  Catholics,  English,  Ixmh,  and  Germans,  in- 
cliKaug  men,  women  and  cUildreu,  does  not  e;.ceea  two 
thousand.     I  remain, 

KoBEUT  Hardi. 


The  sad  remuuiit  of  tba  poor  French  Neutrals  did  not 
seem  worth  counting! 

In  the  Colonial  Ef^cords  of  1757,  is  a  sheriff's  warrant,  is- 
sued by  the  Governor,  at  the  request  of  Lord  Loudon,  di- 
recting the  airt'st  of  Charles  Le  Blanc,  Jean  Baptisfce  Ga- 
lerm,  Philip  M;.>lanQon,  Paul  Bujauld  and  Jean  Landy,  as 
suspicious  and  evil-minded  porsoiKi,  who  have  uttered  men- 
acing speeches  against  his  Majesty  and  his  liege  subjects. 
They  are  to  be  iipprohcnded  and  committed  to  jail. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  Lord  Loudon  to 
"William  Pitt,  is  sufficiently  curious  and  characteristic  to 
sound  strange  at  the  present  tinje:  and  there  is  something 
in  it  which  looks  more  like  the  delivery  of  this  people  into 
slavery  than  anything  else  that  Pejinsylvania  annals  afford; 


«25th  April,  1757. 
Sir: —  ....  When  I  was  at  Pennsylvania,  I  found 
that  the  French  Neutials  there  had  been  'ery  mutinous, 
and  had  threatened  to  leave  the  women  and  .  Jidren  and  go 
over  to  join  thv;  French  in  the  back  coinitry :  they  sent  me 
a  memorial  in  French  setting  forth  their  gi.evances.  I  re- 
turned it  and  said  I  couid  receive  no  menioriai  from  tho 
King's  subjects  but  in  English,  on  which  they  nad  a  gener- 
al meeting  at  which  they  determined  they  wouJd  give  no 
memorial  but  in  French,  and  as  I  am  ini'ormed  they  came  to 
this  resolution  from  looking  on  themseives  entirely  as  French 
subjects. 

"Captain  Cottevell,  who  is  Secretary  for  the  Province  of 
Nova  bcotia,  and  is  in  llie  country  for  tne  recovery  of  hia 
heait/li,  luunu  among  thuae  .Neairalii  one  wno  hau  be&u  a 


THE  FREKCH  XEITTRM-S  IN  PEXInSYLVANIA 


237 


Spie  of  Covnwallis  and  afterwarrls  of  Governor  Lawrence, 
who  he  tt^lls  me  had  behaved  well  both  in  giving  accounts 
of  what  thpsp  people  were  doing  and  in  biititinj^  tliem  in- 
teri_ence  of  the  situation  and  strfuj^th  of  the  French  forts, 
and  in  partiiMilar  of  Beausejour ;  by  this  man  I  learnt  there 
were  five  pvincipai  leading  men  among  them  who  stir  up  all 
the  disturbance  tiiese  people  make  in  Pennsi'vania,  and  who 
j^er.suade  them  to  go  and  join  the  enfimy,  and  who  prevent 
them  from  submitting  to  any  regn^ation  made  in  the  coun- 
try, or  to  allow  their  children  to  be  put  to  work. 

"On  linding  this  to  be  the  case,  I  thought  it  necesssary 
for  me  to  prevent,  as  far  as  I  possibly  could,  such  a  j  uc- 
tiou  to  the  enemv:  on  which  I  secure  .1  these  five  rintflen  'era 
ami  put  theiii  on  board  Captain  Talkingham's  ship,  in  order 
to  his  caiiyiug  them  to  England,  to  be  disposed  of  as  his 
Ma,j<  sty's  servants  shall  thmk  proper;  but  I  nmst  inform 
you  that  if  they  are  turned  loose  they  will  directly  return 
and  continue  to  raise  all  the  disturbance  in  their  power, 
therefore  it  appears  to  me  that  the  safest  way  of  keeping 
them  would  ha  to  employ  tliem  as  sailors  on  board  ships  of 
war. 

Loudon." 

«  The  Right  Hon.  William  Pitt." 

On  the  strength  of  a  report  (the  truth  of  which  he  took 
no  legal  pains  to  ascertain)  that  they  caused  all  the  disturb- 
ance, and  had,  moreovei',  committed  the  in  lignity  of  memo- 
ria-iziug  Lor.uon  in  Freuch,  that  poti-ntiite  thought  the  cir- 
cumstance sufficient  to  warrant  their  condemnation,  unheard, 
to  a  prison  on  board  ships  of  war.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
the  men  thus  exiled — whose  fate  is  not  known — may  have 
been  the  leaikrs,  the  speakers,  and  the  writers  for  the  ex- 
ile«  ;  for,  after  they  were  sent  away,  tliere  is  no  record  of  any 
further  remonstrance  on  the  part  of  the  French  Xeut ,  als. — 
They  dwindled  away  in  uncomplaining  misery — pensinnera 
on  charity.  They  are  seldom  referred  to  in  public  docu- 
ments. 

The  following  is  among  the  records  of  the  Assembly,  un- 
der date  of  February,  1761 : 


!'■ 


1 

! 

1 

■ 

'■     f- 

'  !'■ 

ii 

, 

i  ! 


23S 


ACADTA 


i!i^ 


'i: 


"We,  the  comTnTfioe  appointed  to  examine  info  the  staf© 
of  the  French  Neuirals,    .    .   do  report — 

"That  the  late  extraordinary  expenses  rharfred  by  the 
overseers  of  the  poor,  have  been  ocea'^ioned  by  the  p-enpval 
sickness  which  prevailed  amougst  them,  in  common  with 
other  inhabitants,  during'  the  last  fa'l  and  part  of  the  win- 
ter;  this,  added  to  the  ordinary  expenses  of  supportinor  the- 
indigent  widows,  orphans,  aged  and  decrepid  persons,  have 
greatly  enlarged  the  accounts  of  this  year.  Th^y  have  like- 
wise a  number  of  children,  who  by  the  late  acts  of  the  As- 
sembly, ought  to  have  been  bound  out  to  service,  but  their 
parents  have  always  opposed  the  execution  of  these  laws, 
on  account  of  their  religion  ;  many  of  these  children,  when 
in  health,  require  no  assistance  from  the  pubic;  but  in 
time  of  sickness,  from  the  poverty  ol  their  parents,  become 
objtcts  of  charity,  and  must  perish  without  it. 

"  Your  comraitte  cal'ed  togelher  a  nnmber  of  their  chief 
men,  and  acquainting  them  with  the  dissitisfaction  of  the 
House  on  finding  the  public  expense  so  much  increa'^ed  by 
their  opposition  to  those  laws,  which  were  framed  with  re- 
gard to  thein,  and  tending  immediately  to  their  ease  and 
benefit,  aiid  assured  them  that,  unless  they  could  propose 
a  method  more  agreeable  to  themselves  for  lightening  the 
public  burden,  their  children  would  be  taken  from  them, 
and  placed  in  such  families  as  could  maintain  them,  and 
some  effectual  method  taken  to  prevent  the  ill  effects  of 
idleness  in  their  young  people. 

"They  answeied,  with  appearance  of  great  concern,  they 
were  very  sorry  to  find  themseives  so  expensive  to  the  good 
people  o:'  this  t.'ovince;  reminded  us  of  the  late  general 
sickness  as  the  principal  cause  of  it,  which  they  hoped  might 
iio).  occur  again  during  their  continuance  here;  that  in  ex- 
pectation oi  lessening  this  expense,  and  of  obtaining  some 
;.estitation  for  the  loss  of  their  estates,  thej'  had  petitioned 
the  King  of  Great  Britain,*  and  humbiy  remonstrated  to 
his  Majesty  the  state  of  their  peculiar  sufferings,  and  as  toe 
Governor  had  been  so  kind  as  to  transmit  and  recommend 
their  said  petition  and  remonstrance,  thsy  doubted  not  but 
the  King  would  be  so  gracious  as  to  grant  a  part  of  their 
coantiy,  suiiicieat  for  their  families  to  settle  on,  where  they 


•gee  copy  of  tbis  document  beginniog  on  page  3o7. 


THE  FBENCH  NLDTBALS  IM  PENNSYLVANIA 


239 


Batter  themselves  they  should  enjoy  more  health,  and,  free 
from  the  apprehension  of  their  children  being  educated  in 
fantilies  whose  re'igious  sentiments  are  so  different  from 
theirs.  In  the  meantime  they  pray  the  iuduigence  of  the 
government  in  si^.ffering  them  to  retain  their  chiich-pn,  as 
they  find,  by  experience,  that  those  few  who  are  in  Prot- 
estant families,  soon  become  estranged  and  alienated  from 
their  parents ;  and,  though  anxious  to  return  to  Nova  iScotia, 
they  beg  to  be  sent  to  old  irunce,  or  anywheie,  rather  than 
part  with  th<rir  children:  and  they  promise  to  incite  and  en- 
courage all  their  young  people,  to  be  industrious  in  acquir- 
ing a  competency  for  their  own  and  their  parents'  subsist- 
ence, that  thij  iiiay  not  give  occasion  for  complaints  here- 
ait.^r.  liow  lar  they  may  succeed  in  this,  or  tiieir  ap])lica- 
tion  to  the  crown,  is  very  uncertain.  We  are  of  opiuion 
that  nothing  short  of  putting  in  execution  the  iaw,  which 
oirects  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  to  bind  out  their  cliikl.en, 
will  so  efiectually  lessen  tiiis  exi^euse,  unless  tii«  liijveruor, 
with  the  concurrence  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
King's  forces,  shall  think  lit  to  comply  with  their  request 
ana  transport  them  out  of  this  Province. 

"Nevertheless,  your  Committee  being  moved  with  com- 
passion for  these  unhappy  people,  do  recommend  them  to 
the  consideration  of  the  House,  as  we  hope  that  no  gre.it 
iuconvtnience  can  arise  from  tne  continuance  of  the  pub.ic 
c'aarity  towards  them  for  a  few  months  longer:  and  think 
it  just  to  observe,  that  there  are  amongst  them  numbers  of 
iuuustrious  laboring  men,  who  have  been,  during  the  late 
sv .acicy  of  laborers,  of  great  service  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  city." 


1' 


!:•■ 


3d 

to 


"  The  application  to  the  Crown  "  referred  to  in  the  above, 
met  with  no  response  from  the  British  authorities.  When 
the  agent  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  represented  to 
Grenville,  the  British  Minister,  that  his  most  Christian  Maj- 
esty, looking  upon  the  Acauiaus  as  of  the  number  of  those 
who  had  been  bis  most  faithful  subjects,  had  signified  his 
willingness  to  order  transports  for  conveying  them  to  France 
from  the  British  Provinces,  Grenville  immediately  replied, 
''  That  cannot  be — that  is  contrary  to  our  acts  of  naviga* 


y 


r 


''1 


^.!    I 


240 


ACAVU 


tion — ^how  cat)  the  French  Court  send  ships  to  our  coToTiieaf 
as  though  Iho  iaw,  for  once,  could  not  be  made  to  coiiforra 
to  the  dictutea  oi  huuiuiiitv  !  Louis  XV,  touclied  by  the  ap- 
peals sent  him  by  the  Ntutrals  transported  to  Louisiana, 
nuide  overtures  in  vain,  tliroagh  his  miui.steis  to  those  of 
G.eat  Britain,  to  be  permitted  to  send  his  ships  to  convey 
them  to  Fj  auce. 

One  more  record,  and  one  only,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Aa- 
Beujbly  Journal  of  Peunsylvama,  and  that  one  tells  a  sad 
tale.     It  is  ciaied  January  4tb,  1766: 

"A  petition  from  John  Hijl,  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
joiner,  wiiy  presented  to  the  house  and  leati,  setting  forth 
that  the  petitioner  has  been  employed  from  time  to  time  to 
lio%ide  ('015113  for  the  'iTi'onca  Neutrals  who  have  died  in 
a'^d  about  this  tity,  and  has  had  his  accounts  regularly  al- 
lowed and  paid  by  the  Govevnuient  until  lately  j  that  he  is 
Uiformed  by  the  gentlemen  comuiissioners,  v.  ho  used  to  pay 
L'm,  tliat  they  have  no  pubic  money  in  theic  hands  for  the 
payments  of  such  debts;  tliat  he  has  made  sixteen  coflin» 
Bince  their  last  settlement,  witiiout  any  countermand  of  his 
former  order  ;  he  therefore  prays  the  House  to  make  such 
provisions  for  his  materials  and  labor  in  the  premises  us  to 
them  shall  seem  meet.     Ordered  to  lie  on  the  table." 

With  this  cofiin-maker's  memorial,  so  su^ijestive  of  the 
terrible  bufferings  and  njouiuful  end  of  the  French  exiles, 
the  authentic  iiistory  of  this  people  in  Pennsylvania  ends. 
In  the  Annals  of  Watson  we  hud  it  stated  that  "for  a  long 
time  the  remnant  of  the  Neutrals  occupied  a  row  of  frame 
huts  on  the  north  side  of  Pine  Street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth;  and  these  ruined  houses,  known  as  the  Neutral  Huts, 
are  lemjinbered  distinctly  by  persons  now  living."  "What 
at  last  became  of  these  poor  creatures,  is  not  easy  to  deter- 
mine; their  very  names  bave  perished  from  among  men  I 
It  appeals  from  the  olhcial  records  that  there  was  expend- 
ed .or  the  relief  of  the  exiles  by  the  Pennsylvania  Icgisaators 


:(  ■ 


THE  rnEKCH  N-EUTB  \LS  IN  PSN'XSYLVAXIA 


a  av.m  not  less  than  $25,000,  exclusive  of  the  amount  donat- 
ed by  pvivate  benefaction — always  liberal  in  Piiila.lelp'aia. 

"What  a  strange  contrast  does  this  sad  story  bear  to  the 
next  visit  of  the  French  to  Philadeljihia,  vl;en  the;-  c;i;ne 
as  welcome  auxiliaries !  Though  less  than  a  score  of  vf-a's 
had  i^assed,  French  soldiers  and  French  priests  went  uboiit 
the  streets,  no  longer  regarded  with  fear  and  distrust,*  and 
when,  we  trust,  they  walked  across  the  Pottors'  Field,  and 
looked  at  the  moldering  remains  of  the  Neutral  Huts,  and 
traced  out  the  crumbling  mounds  marking  the  graves  of 
their  once  lappy,  but  now  sadly  lamented  countrymen,  the 
exiled  Acadiaus ! 


•  Page  231,  first  paraRrapb. 


I.  f     -^ 


m 


■  I 

'  ii 

:    1 

1 

i:;' 

^    ■ 


,)ld 

ts, 
iat 
er- 
ml 
id- 
jra 


L^^ 


I 


1 1! 


!'! 


THE  FKENCH  NEUTEALS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 


Boston,  1755. 

Messrs.  Apthoi'p  &  Hancock  to  Samuel  Harris,  Dr. 

To  Hire  of  Sleep  Sei-iflower,  Sa;uuel  Harris,  "Mas- 
ter, Chart- v'd  by  Ca'it.  A.' ex.  Muvvxyfov  Bring- 
ing off  tlu^  Fiei'ch  I  il>!iiutarts  trcm  Minfis  to 
tha  Proviti'-e  of  the  M  issa-imsotts,  81  Tuns, 
fiom  29tli  Sept.  to  1  Dec.  i-,2  luouths  2  days: 
at  i>43  4  pr.  month, £89  5 


&II; 


Governor  Lawrence  eiaploTe.l  the  Boston  firm  of  Apthov;i 
ancook  as  iigeuts  in  settling  with  the  owners  of  the  ve;  - 
se.s  engaged  to  transport  the  Acadians  :  the  above  is  a  copy 
of  a  biii  which  serves  to  mark  one  of  the  steps  of  the  trans- 
action. Transported  at  a  given  amount  per  head,  with  it 
stat"d  allowance  of  pork  and  flour  per  week,  two  Neutrals 
to  every  ton  burden — a  treatment  savoring  of  no  more  con- 
sideration than  if  they  had  been  dumb  animals — such  wera 
the  conditions  atteacliug  the  expulsion  of  the  French  Aca- 
dians.  Such  ships  were  hired  as  could  be  had  cheapest — 
old  huiks  or  otherwise — which  were  selected  without  any 
consideration  for  the  comLort  and  safety  of  the  cargo.  On- 
ly a  few  of  the  prisoners  were  allowed  on  deck  at  one  time 
for  fear  of  a  mutiny ;  the  crowding  of  so  great  a  number  of 
people  in  close  holds,  subject  to  all  the  miseries  of  a  tadious 
ocean  voyage,  wrought  great  chringes  among  the  captives- 
Death  brought  rest  to  many  suHtirers  within  a  short  timet 


TBK  VBESCH  VK'.TRxr^S  T.V  MASSACniTfJUTTS 


243 


ancl  tlieir  botlies  were  coramitted  to  the  wavos  oi  tlie  vollinj' 
Of.can,  witliout  so  laucb  as  observing  one  of  the  solemn  rites 
of  Christian  burial. 

When  the  shi]  s  coutaining  the  exiles  arrived  in  Boston, 
the  authoiities  would  not  permit  them  to  land  lor  several 
days.  Here,  as  in  Philadelphia,  a  Roman  Catholic  whs  i)e;d 
as  one  of  the  wo)-.st  of  foes  to  society.  There  was  likelihood, 
too,  that  they  would  become  a  charge  to  the  public,  and  it 
was  some  time  before  the  Massachusetts  authorities  could 
bring  themselves  to  decide  on  turning  a  thousand  of  thiso 
creatures  loose  on  socie'cv.  The  suffering  of  the  cajjtiven 
detained  on  board  the  vC'dslo,  is  said  to  have  been  di-eadinl. 
One  Hutchinson,  (afterward  Governor  of  Massachusetts,) 
who  visited  them  on  board,  wrote  an  account  of  a  case  pe- 
culiarly distre.- sing.  He  found  a  woman  in  a  dying  state 
from  the  foui  atmosphere  and  uneomi'ortable  quarters,  but 
the  regulations  did  not  admit  of  her  removal.  Tnree  small 
children  were  with  hsr,  requiring  a  mother's  care.  To  save 
her  life,  Hutc'iinson  had  her  conveyed  to  a  house  ou  shore, 
contrary  to  oruers,  at  his  own  risk,  where  the  poor  widow 
v.iis  made  comfoiiab.e.  But  disease  had  wi'ought  too  great 
havoc  in  her  fra-.e  to  admit  of  recovery;  she  wasted  away 
and  left  her  httle  ones  without  a  protector:  but  just  b'.'fore 
she  died  she  besought  her  benefactor  "to  ask  the  Goveinor, 
in  the  name  of  their  common  Savior,  to  let  lier  cliiUren 
remain  in  the  jj.ace  where  she  died. " 

The  XeutraiS  were  finally  permitted  to  land,  and  tempo- 
rary quarters  were  fitted  up  for  them  on  Boston  Common ; 
they  were  afterward  distribii-od  to  the  different  towns.  At 
fii st  the  Acadiuns  set  up  the  claim  they  were  prisoners  of 
Avar,  and  refused  to  work,  but  subsequtntiy  became  an  in- 
dustrious element 

There  was  one  groat  difficulty  attending  their  employ- 
ment, however.  a:id  tL.at  was  the  prejudice  of  the  people 
against  the  admission  of  a  papist  into  their  families.     Some 


1 

i'  '  i 

'  i  !'^ 

i 

i| 

J 

rf 

t 

■  if 

t   I 


I 

1 


,  jp^ 


r !} 


244 


▲OADIA 


designing  employers,  too,  would  refuse  to  pay  the  exiles  for 
work  i)eri'oniied,  trusting  to  this  prejudice  to  bear  them  out 
in  the  wrong.  One  account  is  recorded  where  two  grown- 
up sons  were  refused  their  wages,  which  amounted  to  fifteen 
"joes,"  and  were  barbarously  beaten  when  they  asked  for 
their  dues,  one  having  his  eye  put  out.  Another  instance 
occurred  at  Plymouth  where  a  boy  had  been  dragged  off  to 
sea  by  an  unfeeling  Captain,  and  the  parents,  upon  remon- 
strating, were  cruelly  beaten.  That  there  is  some  ground 
for  believing  the  truth  of  these  allegations  appears  evident 
from  the  fact  that  the  Government  of  Massachusetts  at  once 
enaci  ed  laws  with  severe  penalties  for  defrauding  these  per- 
secuted people. 

One  large  family  of  Neutrals  was  sent  to  Wilmington.— 
They  repiesented  that  they  were  placed  in  a  ruined  house, 
without  doors  or  windows,  in  an  incltment  season  of  the 
year.  The  mother,  who  was  sick,  was  obliged  to  have  her 
bed  moved  to  leeward  every  time  it  rained.  They  had  no 
fuel,  were  denied  oxen  to  get  any,  and  were  not  allowed  to 
back  it  from  the  woods,  A  small  amount  of  provisions  was 
supplied,  and  they  were  told  to  earn  the  rest.  The  man 
complained  of  the  water  coming  in  upon  his  floor,  and  "  ev- 
ery thing  afloat ; "  he  was  told  to  "  build  a  boat,  then,  and 
sail  about  in  it ! " 

The  Neutrals  here  do  not  appear  to  have  been  received 
with  the  considerate  kindness  their  brethren  were  so  fortu- 
nate to  experience  in  Philadelphia.  They  were  not  permit- 
ted to  go  from  one  town  to  another,  and  if  taken  without  a 
passport  from  two  selectmen,  they  were  to  be  imprisoned 
five  days,  or  whipped  ten  lashes,  or  perhaps  both.  By  this 
treatment,  as  useless  as  it  was  cruel,  members  of  families 
were  kept  separated  from  their  friends  and  from  each  other. 
The  meager  records  of  those  times  show  that  numerou-  pe 
titions  were  sent,  and  advertisements  were  const;'' 
culated,  to  find  lost  relatives : — it  being  a  feature  .^ar 


THE  rilENCH  NtrrnALS  IN  MAHSAOnUSETTS 


'240 


to  their  case,  tlmt  they  were  loft  in  tlio  most  distressing 
doubt  as  to  tlie  I'aLe  of  tlioso  nearest  and  dearest  to  theiu. 

In  tlie  niiJbt  of  so  much  distrust  and  fauaticisuj,  tho  uu- 
Wfc.couje  Gallo-Acadians  were  subjected  to  tlia  luost  rigid 
«uiveilhuice;  there  v/as  no  deed  su  dark  but  they  were  be- 
lieved to  be  capable  of  perforaiin<^' ;  and  every  species  of 
crime  committetl  in  the  vicinity,  the  perpetrators  of  wiiicli 
were  unknown,  was  attributed  witii  one  consent  to  the  pa- 
pists. A  petition  from  one  town  on  the  coast  asks  to  have 
the  Neutrals  "removed  to  tlio  interior,  as  they  had  a  pow- 
der-house there,  and  was  afraid  they  wou.d  blow  them  up." 
The  student  of  human  nature  tinds  in  tliis  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  power  that  education  and  prejudice  exert  over 
the  judgment  of  men.  The  Acadians  themsjlves  refer  to 
this  view  entertained  toward  them  by  the  Eug.ish — tliat  of 
being-  addicted  to  pillage  and  other  warlike  exploits.  In 
one  of  their  meniorials  tiiey  advunca  as  a  reason  that  they 
could  not  have  possessed  the  beliigerent  characteristics  at- 
tributed to  them,  from  the  fuct  that  it  was  the  absence  of 
these  qualities  tliat  enabled  the  English  to  obtain  such  un- 
limited power  over  them;  otherwise,  several  thousand  Aca- 
dians uevei'  would  have  submitted  to  a  handful  of  English 
soldiers. 

Says  Mrs.  Williams — '*  We  cannot  help  remarking,  while 
looking  over  the  bills  of  expenses  of  that  date,  presenteJ  to 
the  Government  of  Massacnusotts,  that  however  they  miglit 
have  suffered  for  food,  lodging  and  clothing,  it  appears  they 
did  not  lack  for  niedicine.  There  was  a  bill  of  one  Dr.  Trow- 
bridge, of  Marshtield,  for  visiting  nine  French  Neutrals,  and 
administering  nine  vomits,  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  pow- 
ders, and  eight  blisters! " 

The  French  Neutrals  were  greatly  superstitious,  and  gave 
close  attention  to  the  "signs  of  the  times."  A  blight  fell 
ujjon  the  grain  in  the  ear  throughout  New  Eughmu ;  this 
tUi3  Neutrals  attributed  to  the  judgments  of  God  for  their 


i     I 


i;   ; 

1 


i'ii' 


P    H 


246 


ACADIA 


own  fields  wantonly  laid  waste."  And  the  earthqualie,  which 
visited  this  continent  only  a  few  weeks  after  tijeir  arrival, 
the  most  severe  ever  known  here,  and  wnich  so  shook  the 
town  of  Boston  as  to  ring  the  bells  and  throw  down  chim- 
neys, was  regai  ded  by  them  "  as  the  voice  of  a  God  who  had 
not  forgotten  them." 

New  £ork,  Connecticut,  Maryland.  Yirginia,  North  Cai'o- 
lina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia  and  even  Louisiana,  each  re- 
ceived a  complement  of  the  Acadian  Neutrals.  Wherever 
they  went  they  exhibited  similar  characteristics,  were  sup- 
ported as  public  paupers,  hav'ng  loe-i  ail  incentive  for  any 
mode  of  industry,  and  pleading,  in  the  most  pathetic  tones 
to  be  restored  to  Acadia,  or  to  old  Frauce.  In  Louisiana 
they  founded  a  canton  to  which  they  gave  the  ever  deai' 
imiue  of  Acadia.  From  thence  they  memo;  ia'.ized  the  French 
Crown,  and  that  monarch,  commiserating  their  condition, 
requested  but  was  denied  pei'nussion,  on  tlie  part  of  the 
iJritish  Government,  to  send  veHseis  for  their  transportation 
to  their  mother  country.  Notwithstanding  this,  some  of  the 
Acadians  did  reach  France,  and  "  ti  eir  dec^audants  now  in- 
hauit  two  flourishing  communes  wherein  the  peaceful  habi- 
tudes and  rubtic  peculiarities  of  their  race  are  still  recogniz- 
able among  the  verdant  oases  which  dot  the  moorlands  of 
Gascony." 

Some  of  the  exiles  went  as  L\r  as  French  Guiana:  "and 
certain  Frenchmen,  buniahed  the.'nselves  to  fc;iui;!^ijiari,  found 
there,  iu  17U8,  an  Acadian  family  whose  members  received 
them  hospitably;  saying,  'You  are  welcome!  Our  ances- 
tors were  expelled  from  their  count  y,  even  as  you  are  now. 
Thej'  taught  us  to  succor  the  unfortunate,  bo  come  into 
our  cabin,  and  let  us  have  the  pieas;;re  of  rendering  yuu 
Buch  consolation  therein  as  we  have  to  bestow.'  " 

Count  D'Estaing  when  Governor  of  Hispamola,  commis- 
erated this  peop.e  in  their  misi'ui  Lunes,  and  invited  them 
to  his  Isiand,  setting  apart  a  particular  district  to  their  use. 


THE  FKENCH  NEUTKALS  IN  MASSACHUSETTS 


241 


A  consiilerable  colony  availed  themselves  of  tbo  Conut's  of- 
fer; but  neither  they  nor  their  kind  benefaotor  bad  taken 
'.nto  considoratic.u  the  danger  attending  a  change  of  ;:boda 
to  a  tropical  climate.  The  result  was  that  a  pcslilcnce 
broke  out  among  them  even  before  they  cou".d  prepare 
themselves  dwellings.  A  large  number  oi  th  )  inhabitatita 
died  there,  and  the  rest  were  forced  to  emignite  to  a  differ- 
ent climate.  Their  kind  bonefar'tor,  the  Count,  on  learning 
of  their  shocking  mortality,  went  to  visit  their  settlement. 
He  found  them  in  the  most  pitiable  plight,  crawling  un- 
der the  bushes,  to  screen  themsyives  from  the  torrid  sun, 
and  lying  down  to  die.  A  number  found  mtans  to  return 
to  Nova  Scotia;  here  they  encamped  in  the  wilderness,  and 
it  is  believed  many  perished  from  hardships  and  exposure. 

It  appears  from  the  records  yet  extant,  that  vessels  con- 
tinued to  arrive  at  Boston,  with  new  quotas  of  the  exiles, 
until  the  MassachnsnUa  government  put  a  stop  to  the  pro- 
ceeding. Tlie  English  so'.dioiy  were  continually  scouring 
Acadia,  hunting  the  French  ivoin  their  hiding  places  in  the 
mountains,  and  sending  them  off  to  Boston  by  the  ship- 
load as  fast  as  collected. 

The  mortality  among  the  exiles  sent  to  Georgia,  South 
Caro'ina,  and  other  southern  ports,  was  greater  than  among 
those  sent  to  the  northern  colonies,  owing  to  the  great  dif- 
fcrenco  in  climate.  In  July,  1716,  seven  boats  containing 
about  ninety  of  these  people  coasted  along  shore  from  Geor- 
j>ia  and  the  Caro'.'nas,  and  put  into  a  harbor  in  the  southern 
inivt  of  Massachusetts.  Receiving  here  some  temporary  re- 
lief, they  sailed  a.ong  the  coast  until  they  were  stopped  at 
Boston,  where  five  of  the  party  tound  and  were  restored  to 
their  families.  Governor  Lawrence,  hearing  of  the  circum- 
btance,  immediately  sent  a  circular  to  each  of  the  Governors 
on  the  Continent,  stating  be  had  been  informed  that  some 
of  the  transported  inhabitants  were  coasting  irom  colony  to 
colony  on  their  return  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  as  '*  their  succesi 


I     ' 


■m 


■ 


248 


ACADIA 


I 


"^ 


i. 


iriB  i 


in  this  enterprise  would  not  only  frustrate  the  design  of 
tliis  government  in  sending  them  away  at  so  prodigious  an 
expense,  but  would  greatly  endanger  the  safety  of  the  Prov- 
ince, especially  at  this  junotuve,  I  think  it  my  indispensable 
duty  to  entreat  your  Excellency  to  use  your  endeavors 
to  prevent  the  accomp'ishmsnt  of  so  pernicious  an  under- 
taking by  destroying  their  vessels." 

It  would  seem  that  the  Lords  of  Trade  unwittingly  cora- 
milted  themselves  adverse  to  the  means  resorted  to  in  this 
forced  extirpation,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  clanse  at  the  close 
of  the  following  sentence,  from  a  letter  written  to  Governor 
Lawrence  in  17a7:  "As  to  the  conduct  of  the  southern  col- 
onies in  permitting  those  who  were  removed  to  coast  along 
from  one  Province  to  another  in  order  that  thev  miefht  jrei 
bick  to  Nova  Scotia,  nothing  can  have  been  move  absurd 
and  blamable,  and  had  not  the  Governors  o:  New  York  and 
Massachusetts  Bay  prudently  stopped  theui,  there  is  no 
attempt,  however  desp?rate  and  cruel,  whi(;h  might  not 
have  been  expected  from  persons  exasperated  as  they  must 
ha '6  been  ioith  the  treatment  they  had  met  «ot7A." 

Could  a  course  of  persistent  memorializing  have  availed 
the  distressed  Acadiaas,  they  might  have  ha. I  some  hope  of 
a  mitigation  of  their  sentence.  Petitions  were  successively 
Bout  to  the  Governors  of  the  Provinces  on  i\m  Contincit,  to 
the  Goveinor  of  Canada  and  to  the  Crowns  of  EnglanJl  and 
France;  but  their  prayers  failed  of  their  purpose,  and  iu 
many  instances  were  treated  with  contempt.  The  poor  ex- 
iles do  not  appear  to  have  been  welcomed  anywhere,  not 
even  by  their  own  countrymen;  they  were  outcasts,  feared 
and  despised  wherever  they  turned  their  steps.  "We  close 
this  chapter  by  an  extract  of  a  lettor  from  the  Board  of  Trade 
to  Go vex'nor  Lawrence.  England  imi  ret-eived  a  batch  of 
the  Neutrals,  and  the  complaining  tone  of  the  letter  shows 
the  spirit  in  which  the  receipt  of  thp  invoice  was  considered. 
It  may  be  premised  that  altiiough  the  navigation  laws  pre> 


■^•J 


THE  PKEKCn  NEUTRALS  IV  MAf»SACHU3ETT8 


249 


vented  the  punctilious  Briton  from  allowing  French  vessels 
to  take  ofi'  the  AcaJians  from  the  colonies,  these  sctniplcs 
were  somehow  set  asiile  when  the  Xentia'.s  became  a  burden 
to  England,  and  means  were  sp.^cdilj  t'oaud  to  restore  them 
to  France.     The  extract  reads : 

"Notwithstanding  vvhat  you  say  in  your  letter  of  the  Aoa- 
diana  being  received  in  the  several  Provinces  to  which  they 
were  sent,  We  must  inform  you  that  several  hundred  of 
them  have  since  been  sent  over  hero  from  Virginia,  and  sev- 
eral from  South  Carolina,  and  tliat  his  Majesty  bas  given 
orders  to  the  Lords  of  Admiraltv,  to  direct  the  Commiiision 
for  Sick  and  Hurt  Seamen  to  secure  and  maintain  them." — 
They  further  express  themselves  as  "extremely  anxious  till 
we  ltf!ir  what  occurs  to  you  with  respect  to  the  spttk-meut 
of  il/ose  laud-,  whirh  appears  to  us  to  bj  an  object  of  the 
utmurit  importance."  ^ 


LOW   TIDH. 


m 


ill 

L.I  .1 


■i. 


<i 


^•1    I 


r 


AFFAIRS  IN  ACADIA. 


It  was  ill  a  p-feat  measure  owing  to  the  effective  coopera- 
tion of  the  New  England  troops  that  the  Acadians  were  expa- 
triated from  their  homes  and  possessions ;  it  was  to  the  >iew 
Entjjand  Colonies  that  the  larger  shai'e  of  that  afflicted 
people  were  sent  to  be  quartered  upon  the  inhabitants. — 
The  ]Massachu setts  authorities  did  not  favor  being  burdened 
with  the  expense  of  such  a  host  of  public  paupers  for  the 
benefit  of  another  Provinco,  and  the  subject  became  one  of 
sharp  controversy.  The  Council  directed  Gov.  Phipps  to 
inform  Governor  Lawrence  that  Massachusetts  "received 
them  in  expectation  of  being  indemnified  from  all  charges 
that  might  arise  upon  their  account."  Gov.  Phipps  writes: 
"I  would  therefore  desire  of  your  E.tcellency  that  you 
would  give  orders  for  defraying  all  such  charges  as  may 
ba  incurred  by  the  receiving  of  those  inhabitants  already 
arrived;  and  as  we  are  informed  that  more  of  these  French 
iuhabilauttj  may  be  sent  hither  I  make  no  doubt  but  that 
you  wiil  give  oiders  respe;;tiug  the  charges  that  may  arise 
by  this  government's  receiving  and  disposing  of  them  also." 

One  cause  that  rendered  the  jjeople  of  Massachusetts  still 
more  sensitive  on  this  point  waa,  that  some  of  the  Neutrals, 
returning  from  Georj^ia  and  the  Caioliiiao,  haJ  found  their 
way  back  to  Boston,  as  aiready  mentioned,  and  were  added 
to  the  complement  of  that  colony.  "  What  appeared  pr.  tty 
extraordiaaiy   was,  that  these  people  had  been  fuiuished 


AITAIBS  IN  ACADIA 


251 


with  passports  from  the  Governors  of  Georgia,  South  Car- 
olina and  New  York." 

Gov.  Shirley  seems  to  have  volunteered  his  services  to  qui- 
et the  apprehensions  of  the  New  Eoglanders  ou  this  point. 
He  first  observes  to  the  Council  that  they  themselves 
thought  the  expatriation  of  the  Acadiaus  was  a  necessary 
measure — thus  inferring  they  were  in  a  manner  responsible 
for  the  consequences.  He  then  adds;  "I  believe  Governor 
Lawrence  had  no  apprehension  that  it  would  occasion  any 
considerable  charge  to  this  Province,  or  that  it  would  be  a 
disagreeable  thing  to  have  those  people  sent  here :  I  am 
sorrj  that  it  is  likely  to  prove  so  burdensome:  I  have  it  not 
in  my  power  to  support  them  al:  tlie  charge  of  the  Crown. 
You  have  a  great  deal  of  encouragemeut  to  depend  on  it 
that  his  Majesty  will  not  sutfer  any  unieasonable  burthen  to 
lie  upon  any  of  his  colonies :  I  wi:l  make  full  representation 
of  the  state  of  this  aflfair  and  in  such  a  manner  as  I  hope 
you  will  receive  a  favorable  answer ;  and  I  shall  be  ready  to 
join  with  you  in  proper  measures  to  enable  and  induce  tii.  se 
persons  to  provide  for  their  own  suppoit  aud  tuat  of  tiieir 
families." 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  occasional  bad  fpeling  ex- 
hibited between  the  New  England  soldiers  and  the  Ha  it'ax 
regiments,  and  the  complamt  of  Gen.  Winslow  of  the  arbi- 
trary acts  of  Governor  Lawrence  in  transierriug  ihe  coloni- 
al troops  and  refusing  to  let  them  return  uccor.ling  to  the 
terms  of  their  enlistment.  The  effect  of  these  outrages  of 
authority  now  became  apparent.  Governor  Lawrence  com- 
plains to  Shirley  of  "  the  bad  success  of  our  officers  in  tiieir 
recruiting  upon  the  Continent;"  that  the  New  England 
troops  still  in  the  Province  [February  IT.iG]  were  clamor- 
ing so  loudly  to  be  dischared  that  he  was  "  inclined  to  think 
they  were  put  upon  it  by  some  of  their  officers;"  and,  fur- 
ther, he  was  fearful  he  c  .ukl  not  preserve  the  acquisitions 
made  last  year  ou  the  north  side  of  the  Buy  of  Fuudy,  aud 


^ 


; '  Ct 


Wl 


v.. 
■\[ 

11: 

H 


! 


252 


AOADIA 


that  the  whole  Province  would  be  continually  subject  to 
French  inroads.  Shirley  proflfevs  his  assurances  to  the  New 
England  people,  by  way  of  encouraging  new  enlistments,  in 
these  words:  "You  may  depend  on  it  that  the  engagements 
made  to  the  soldiers  in  order  to  encourage  them  to  enlist 
shal]  be  fully  complied  with." 

A  number  of  the  Acadians  having  taken  refuge  among 
the  bays  and  islands  near  Cape  Sable,  Governor  Lawrence 
issued  to  Major  Prebble  "the  necessary  orders"  for  him 
to  call  at  the  Gape  on  his  way  home  with  the  returning  New 
Eug'  and  regiments  which  had  been  detained  through  tlie 
winter,  and  convey  the  Inhabitants  to  Boston.  Governor 
Lawrence  in  a  letter  to  Shirley,  says;  "I  flatter  myself  the 
Government  of  Mfis^acb  asetts  Bay  will  not  liud  it  inconven- 
ient to  receive  such  of  ihese  inhabitants  as  the  Major  may 
be  able  to  carry  away  with  him."  The  "necessary  orders" 
read  thus;  "Seize  as  many  of  the  inhabitants  as  possible, 
and  carry  them  with  you  to  Boston,  where  you  will  deliver 
them  to  his  Excellency,  Governor  Shirley,  with  a  letter 
you  will  receive  with  this  order.  You  are,  at  all  events, 
to  burn  and  destroy  the  housas  of  the  said  inhabitants, 
confihcate  their  cattle  and  utensils  of  all  kinds,  and  make  a 
distribution  of  them  to  the  troops  under  your  cjmni;in.l  as 
a  reward  for  the  performance  of  this  service,  and  to  destroy 
such  things  as  cannot  be  conveniently'  carried  off." 

This  wretched  remnant  of  Acadians  at  Cape  Sable  had 
found  means  to  escape  from  the  English,  and  by  great  la- 
bor had  built  huts,  and  provided  themselves  with  necessa- 
ries sufficient  to  enable  them  to  subsist  through  tbe  winter. 
To  the  credit  of  Major  Prebble,  be  it  said,  he  did  not  see 
fit  to  obey  the  order. 

Some  time  subsequent  [Sept.  15,  1758],  the  people  of 
Cape  Sable  sent  a  memorial  to  the  "Honorable  Council  in 
Boston,"  asking  their  protection,  and  that  they  mi<;ht  be 
permitted  to  remain  where  they  were:  or  if  that  could  not 


AFFAIRS  IN  ACADIA 


253 


be  granted,  they  asLci  to  be  taken  to  New  England.  They 
were  willing  to  pay  taxes  and  to  help  niuintain  the  war 
against  Fiatice.  TLey  said  they  were  iu  ;i';;  about  iort}'  fam- 
ilieir,  consisting  of  about  one  hundred  and  fi[i.y  soul.s.  They 
conclude  this  peiiuion  with,  -'Deur  Sirs,  Do  for  us  what 
lavs  in  your  power  to  settle  us  here  and  we  will  be  yuur 
faithful  subjects  till  death."  The  Council  of  Massachusetts 
did  not  see  lit  to  grant  the  petition. 

These  people,  having  been  reduced  to  the  greatest  ex- 
tremities, in  17i')9  sent  a  deputation  to  Governor  Lawrence 
with  terms  of  suirender.  Accordingly,  armed  vessels  were 
sent  to  Cape  Sable,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pt-raons  wore 
taken  on  board,  and  conveyed  to  George's  Island  in  Halifax 
Harbor,  from  wiiich  place  they  were  afterward  sent  to  Eng- 
land. Of  their  subsequent  disposal,  histoi'y  is  silent,  but 
the  supposition  is  they  were  permitted  to  return  to  France. 

In  December,  17;>9,  the  Governor  submitted  to  the  Coun- 
cil at  Halifax,  a  letter  from  Col.  Frye,  the  commanding  of- 
ficer at  Fort  Cumberland,  stating  that  a  number  of  French 
Acadians  had  come  to  Hn  fort  under  a  flag  of  truce  as  dep- 
uties for  one  hundred  nud  ninety  French  people,  resi  ling  in 
the  departments  of  Petifoodla"  urid  Memrauicook,  with  pro- 
posals to  surrender  theul0^1ves.  The  petitioners  said  they 
were  in  a  miserable  condition  for  want  of  provisions,  not 
having  more  among  them  than  could,  by  the  most  prudent 
use,  keep  over  two-thirds  of  them  alive  till  spring;  and 
begged  of  Col.  Frye  to  allow  them  some,  otherwise  they 
must  ull  starve.  The  Colonel  wrote,  he  agreed  the  French 
should  send  sixty -three  of  their  number  to  winter  at  Fort 
Cumberland,  and  that  the  remainder  might  come  out  of 
their  obscure  habitations  into  the  French  houses  remaining 
at  Petitcodiac  and  Memramcook  Rivers,  where  they  should 
live  in  peace  till  spring.  Col.  Frye  mentioned  that  a  few 
days  later  a  delegation  arrived  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Mhamichi,   with   similar  proposals.     The  result  is  iu  the 


i  i; 


:l 


-■:    I 


^H-l 


:     :■    ! 


8 

■f 

'■      \\ 

!  ll 

I"  pill 


i! 


254 


ACADM 


Colonel's  own  words:  "I  agreed  that  they  shonld  trend  two 
hundred  and  fifty  of  their  people  to  winter  here ;  and  upon 
their  informing  me  that  they  had  twelve  yessels  in  their 
custody,  that  were  taken  on  the  coast  of  Canso  the  sumiuer 
past,  I  ordered  the  remainder  of  them  to  come  with  their 
effects  in  those  vessels  to  Bay  Vcrte,  as  soon  in  the  spring 
as  navigation  opened.  They  seemed  well  satistied  and  prom- 
ised to  come,  but  were  afraid  they  should  not  be  able  to  get 
their  vessels  all  off  (they  were  all  driven  on  uiiore  by  the 

late  terrible  storm),  but  would  bring  all  they  could 

It  ]iretty  evidently  appears  that  early  in  tlie  spring  there 
will  be  at  this  placa  and  Bay  Verto  about  nine  handled  souls^ 
to  be  disposed  of  as  your  Excellency  shall  see  fit." 

In  January  following,  his  Excellency  comiiuinicateda  let- 
ter he  had  received  from  Gen.  Amherst,  advising  that  the 
French  inhabitants  from  St.  John  River  be  sent  to  Europe 
as  ])risoners  of  war.  The  advice  of  the  Council  was  asked 
as  to  the  expediency  of  sending  not  only  these,  but  those 
who  had  delivered  themselves  up  at  Fort  Cnmborland,  on 
boaid  of  transports  to  France.  The  Council  "were  of  opin- 
ion that  such  a  measure  would  be  extremely  proper  and 
seemed  to  be  absolutely  necessary,  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
settioment  of  the  evacuated  lands  by  the  persons  who  are 
coming  from  the  Continent  for  that  purpose,  who  otherwise 
would  be  always  liable  to  be  obstructed  in  their  progreas 
by  the  incursions  of  these  French  inhabitants." 

Belcher  writes  to  the  home  government  in  January  ot 
17G2:  "I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  a  very  consid- 
erable body  of  Acadians,  having  withdrawn  their  allep;iauce 
from  his  Majesty,  and  retired  to  the  northern  part  of  this 
Province  in  the  Gnlf  of  the  Rivor  St.  Lawrence,  and  there 
having  taken  up  arms,  and  by  means  of  small  vessels  hav- 
ing ill  Tested  the  navigation  of  tliat  river,  I  tlionght  it  my 
duty  to  check  and  prevent  further  progress  of  such  git  at 
mischiefs.  ...  I  gave  directions  for  ecj[uipping  two  small 


Af FAIRS  IN  ACADIA 


255 


vessels,  ou  bL>aid  of  which  Captaiu  McKeuzie,  with  some  of 
the  troops,  pioeeeded  about  the  eiicl  of  October  to  the  place 
of  their  rendezvous,  where  he  surprised  seven  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  persons,  including  men,  women  and  childrea. 
Of  this  number  he  brought  away  threa  hundred  and  thirty- 
five,  as  many  as  he  could  in  that  late  season  of  the  year  re- 
move, and  the  remainder  have  promised  to  come  in  when  it 
shuU  be  thought  proper  or  convenient  to  request  it." 

The  fact  that  piracies  on  English  shipping  in  the  Gulf 
had  been  perpetrated,  coupled  with  the  circumstance  that 
some  Fieuca  Acadian  settlers  weie  located  somewhere  on 
the  adjacent  shores,  was  thought  sufficient,  such  was  the 
state  of  public  sentiment,  to  make  the  one  responsible  for 
the  other,  witmut  the  trouble  of  direct  proof,  and  wiihout 
granting  the  accused  the  privilege  of  being  heard  in  their 
own  defense. 

The  French  Neutrals  remaining  in  the  country  found 
themselves  despoiled  of  their  lands,  their  property  burned 
or  carried  off,  and  themselves  hunted*  with  remorseless  rig- 
or among  the  mountain  fastnesses.  It  is  not  much  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  Acadiaus,  seeing  themselves  treated  in 
violation  of  the  laws  of  war,  justice  or  humanity,  should  see 
lit  to  make  reprisals  on  the  English.  Governor  Lawrence 
writes  of  the  French  inhabitants  and  Indians,  that  "by  ly- 
ing in  wait  in  the  roads  where  our  parties  pass  and  repass, 
have  f(MUid  opportunities  of  killing  and  scalping  some  of 
our  people." 

General  Murray,  then  Governor  of  Canada,  writes,  in  1761, 
to  Belcher,  in  relation  to  the  settling  of  the  Acadian  Neu- 
trals in  Nova  Sc(>tia,  thus:  "The  measure  does  not  appear 


m 

•■  ''■'!! 

\  H   M 

.M 


t 


'  Says  Governor  Lawrence  in  a  letter  to  the  Board  of  Trade — ' '  I  am 
II]  hopes,  when  the  troops  ordered  from  Ireland  shall  arrive,  it  will  be 
more  in  my  power  than  it  liilluito  has  l)een,  to  hunt  tacin  i.iit  of  their 
lurking  phices,  and  possibly  to  drive  them  entirely  oat  of  the  peninsula." 


1 


•1" 


2r>fi 


ACADM 


to  me  so  eligible,  as  the  very  spot  must  renew  to  them,  in 
all  succeetlmj];  generations,  the  miseries  the  present  one  has 
endured,  and  will  perhaps  alienate  forever  their  affections 
from  its  government  however  just  and  equitable  it  may  be." 
Early  in  the  summer  of  17G2,  M.  de  Tourney,  having  es- 
caped irem  Brest  with  four  ships  and  a  bomb  ketch,  arrived 
at  the  Bay  of  Bulls,  Newfoundland,  where  he  made  prizes 
oi'  English  vessels,  destroyed  the  stages  and  implements  of 
fisijery  of  the  inhabitants  along  the  coast,  and  captured  the 
unimportant  town  of  St.  John.  The  English  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia  were  thrown  into  a  state  of  terrible  alarm  at  the  intelli- 
gence; ol'  this  petty  triumph,  and  were  niouientarily  in  ex- 
pectation ox  a  similar  visitation.  A  general  insurrection  of 
the  savages  and  of  the  few  Acadians  in  tlie  Province,  was 
coniidentiy  looked  for,  as  auxiliary  to  the  anticipated  at- 
tack of  the  Frencli  Heet.  The  Council  of  Nova  Scotia  made 
a  formal  address  to  Governor  Belcher,*  in  which  they  laid 
down  six  reasons  why  the  French  should  be  removed  out  of 
the  Province,  in  effect  as  follows: 


1.  From  the  insolence  of  the  Inxtians  and  the  threaten- 
ing of  the  Fiench,  there  is  the  highest  reason  to  bolievt;  that 
the  tlesj^^us  oi  the  enemy  were  more  extensive  than  what 
was  earned  to  a  successiul  issue. 

2.  Tluit  such  prisoners  as  could  have  escaped  would  un- 
doubtedly have  taken  arms  with  the  enemy  had  the  latter 
appi  ared  on  the  coast. 

3.  That  these  people,  seeing  the  English  daily  in  posses- 
sion of  the  lauds  iorititcd  and  fcmerly  occupietl  by  them- 
selves, will  foiever  regret  their  iosu,  and  will  take  favorable 
opportunity  to  regain  them. 


'Joudtlmn  Eelchcr  succeeded  Governor  Lawrence  on  the  death  of  the 
latter  in  17(J0.  Lawrence  did  not  live  to  witness  the  beuelits  it  was  an- 
ricipali.'d  would  accrue  to  {l:o  Euglisli  from  the  succcas  of  tiie  scuume  of 
forcibly  extirpating  fifteen  thousand  French  iuhabiti\uts  from  tlie  soil  of 
their  ancestors,  which  he  labored  so  strenuously  to  accomplish. 


AFFAIRS  IN  ACADIA 


207 


4.  "^hat  their  re^ijfion,  wherein  they  demonstrate  the 
hi;."'hcsh  bi^olrj,  mvst  iii::ke  them  in  their  hearts  etieuiies  to 
a  iJritish  govtrnrn'-nt,  however  tiiild  and  beneficent. 

5.  That  being  born  and  bred  an)onj»  the  siiva{:fe3,  con- 
DK'tfd  with  theiu  bj  ii)terniarna<4e,  prol'esHiug  the  Hutne  re- 
ligion, they  never  fail  to  incuk-ute  in  theui  a  spirit  ol'  (iishke 
to  English  htrtlics;  and  who  may  easily  prevail  up  )n  the 
Indians  to  brei.  .  j)eace  and  to  chase  away  the  Englisli  set- 
tlers from  their  habitations. 

6.  That  these  French  Neutrals,  as  they  are  now  collefted 
together,  are  at  present  a  heiivy  charge  upon  the  [lingiish] 
iuhiibitants,  who  aie  objiged  to  mount  guai  1  every  third 
day  and  hight  iii  theii-  tuins,  to  prevent  the  b^^uape  of  priti- 
oners. 

These  six  distinct  charges,  of  which  all  but  the  latter  were 
mere  assumption,  were  formally  considered  by  the  Council ; 
it  is  not  to  be  wondereil  at,  tuat  where  such  evidence  was 
deemed  relevant,  where  the  accusers  also  sat  as  judges,  and 
where  the  judges  would  reap  a  bent  fit  by  a  veraict  agiunst 
the  accused,  the  poor  Neutrals  would  have  little  chain  e  of 
escaping  conden  nation,  however  innocent  they  might  have 
been.  "These,  sir,  and  many  more  cogent  reasons  which 
might  be  enforce.1,  and  which  will  naturally  occur  to  you," 
Bay  the  Council  in  their  addrtss,  "we  hurabl^v  submit  to 
your  consideration,  and  we  flatter  ourselves  you  will  give 
the  necessary  orders  that  these  French  prisoners  may  be  ro- 
inoved  out  of  the  Province." 

The  records  of  the  Council  at  Halifax,  under  date  of  26th 
July,  1762,  read  thus:  "The  Council  do  unanimously  advise 
and  recommend,  in  the  most  earnest  manner,  for  the  safety 
atid  security  of  this  Province  and  its  new  settlements,  that 
the  Governor  wouid  be  pleased  to  take  the  speediest  meth- 
od to  collect  and  transport  the  said  Acadians  out  of  this 
Pi'ovinee;  and  do  further  advise,  that  as  the  Province  of  the 
Massachusetts  is  nearest  adjacent,  that  the  Goven  n'  would 
be  pleased  to  cause  them  to  l)e  transported  to  that  Province 
with  all  cjuvemeut  dispatch." 


•i  \'. 


P-l 


t       I 


258 


▲OADU 


Accoi'flin,2fly  nn  embarpco  was  laid  on  all  the  shipping,  and 
nifti  tial  law  tjeci.'ueil  tlirnnpflioiit  tlu;  I'loviucc.  Tho  iiiilitja 
>veie  ordeied  to  collect  the  lusiJont.  Acailians  and  biiii^ 
tht'iii  in  to  Huliiux.  Governor  Boiclier  dechutd  he  put  little 
co.ii',  J(!UctJ  ill  the  Acadiaii.s  who  had  taken  th')  (•iuli.  us  "  ;'i,  ir 
vuiits  and  tf^ivoi's  only  reducol  them  to  it;'"*  and  he  a;ii)liej 
to  jiiijoi-Oeiifrul  Anihrrst,  who  hoid  the  conmuMid  of  the 
Eiijj.ish  army  in  Aniciicu.  uiici  who  was  tlieii  in  Now  Yo:k, 
"for  such  nu:ui8  as  may  be  sufl&cieut  to  ward  oil' any  throal- 
euiiig  diinger." 

General  Aiuherst  does  not  soeni  to  have  shared  in  the 
fear.s  Oi  Bdchtr.  He  had  written  to  the  Goveinor  but  a 
fe.v  uay.s  bijiOi  ',  that  ii  the  removal  of  the  remaining  Acfi- 
diuiis  could  uud  to  either  the  secuiily  or  the  advantage  of 
the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  he  would  be  the  lirst  toadvi.se 
their  expult-iou  :  he  did  not  sue  that  they  could  have  any 
thing  to  fear  from  these  Acauiiins,  but  that  great  advantages 
might  be  reaped  in  employing  them  pro])erly. 

General  Andierit  wriLes  Governor  iJelcher  from  New 
York,  under  datfj  of  August  30,  1762: 


11  ii 


"Sir:  By  an  express  from  Boston  I  was  last  night  favored 
with  your  letter  of  the  12Lli  inst.,  and  at  ttic  same  time 
learn  that  live  transports,  with  Acadiuns,  were  arrived  at 
that  pi  ace. 

"Aithongh  I  can't  help  thin';cing  that  these  people  might 
have  been  icept  in  proper  subjection  while  tiiH  troops  re- 
mained in  Nova  Scotia,  yet  I  am  glad  you  have  taken  meas- 
ures for  removing  them ;  ....  I  doubt  not  but  you  have 
wrote  to  Governor  Bernard  concerning  them,  but  I  shaji  by 
roLjrn  of  express,  desire  he  be  pleased  to  dispone  of  the 
Acadians  in  such  a  manner  as  he  judges  be.st,  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Massachusetts  Bay,  where  they  must  remain  for  the 
present,  taking  care  to  separate  them  as  much  as  possible, 

•Historians  who  have  attempted  to  justify  the  expnbiou  of  the  Acadi- 
aup.  htvvo  set  forth  the  clniiij,  tlirit  had  the  Froir-h  tiih'  ii  tlio  Oath  of  Al- 
legiance they  might  have  retained  possession  of  their  lauds. 


AFFAIB8  IN  ACADIA 


259 


to  prevent  tlioir  doiiir;-  any  mischief,  as  well  as  rrtnvninp  to 

tllcll    old  liul>it)inohs. 

"I  coiiJd  Imve  wihlied  that  thost;  wiiu  iijliHl)ited  tlic  hack 
pni  t  ot  the  I'loviiR-e  liud  l)eoa  sent  to  CaiiuUa.  a^rffahn  to 
Itovci  nor  Mill  ray's  i-(;qii('.-.t.  .  .  .  i  an  p:nauii  led  tluifc  iiei- 
tlicr  the  Acadians,  Canadians,  nor  ImliatiH,  had  ai^y  knowl- 
<)il;j;e  of  tlie  intiuitious  of  the  enemy  who  have  beeu  landed 
at  Newfoundiand." 


By  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the  resolution  of  the 
Government  at  Halifax,  relative  to  transporting  the  Acadi- 
BU8,  had  beeu  carried  out.  The  vessels  eontaiuing  this  un- 
fortunate people  arrived  in  Boston  Harbor  in  due  ti:ue,  and 
were  ordered  to  lie  under  the  guns  of  Castle  William  until 
the  General  Assembly  could  talce  action  in  the  premises. 
The  dispatches  from  the  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia  were  pro- 
duced before  that  body,  who,  instead  of  admitting  the  pris- 
oners into  the  Province  as  requested,  required  Governor 
]3t  rnard  on  no  account  to  permit  them  to  land,  anil  become, 
as  their  predecessors  had  b^en,  a  charj^e  to  the  public.  A 
report  of  these  jn'oceedings  was  transmitted  to  General  Am- 
herst, but  before  a  reply  could  be  received  the  Assembly 
was  prorogued.  Massachusetts  had  received  no  compensa- 
tion lor  the  expenses  already  incurred  on  beha.f  of  the  Neu- 
trals, and  was  not  inclined  lunger  to  indulge  Nova  Scotia 
by  quartering  this  additional  number  on  her  colonists.* 
Nothing  therefore  remained  but  for  the  transports  to  return 
with  their  passengers  to  Halifax ;  and  the  Bostonians  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  ves.seis  setting  all  sail  for 
Nova  Scotia  waters  before  any  further  orders  could  be  re- 
ceived concerning  them. 

Governor  Belciier  characterized  the  means  made  use  of  by 
Massachusetts  in  sending  back  the  Acadians  as  "precipitate," 
and  complained  loudly  of  the  persuasion  brought  to  bear 


* 


ll 


■  Subsequently  this  debt  was  paid  by  Parliament, 


Il 


f. 


■     1 ' 


m 


260 


ACADIA 


with  Captain  Brooks  inducing  iiiiu  "  to  return  with  the  Aca- 
diaiis  back  into  this  Province,  to  the  great  danger  thereof, 
and  the  distress  of  all  the  inhabitants.  By  all  vhich  man- 
agement, the  public  hae  incurred  a  very  considerable  and 
fruitless  expense,  and  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst's  intention  fvv  the 
disposal  of  those  prisoners  has,  for  the  present,  been  entire- 
ly ixifiied,  and  his  expectations  disappointed." 

Tne  Lords  oi  Trade,  in  a  resolution  touching  the  com- 
plaint of  Governor  Belcher  against  the  Massachusetts  Colo- 
ny, conveyed  a  mild  but  unmistakable  reproof.  "Their 
Lordships,"  so  reads  their  record,  "could  not  but  bo  of 
opinion,  that  however  expedient  it  might  have  been  to  have 
removed  them  at  a  time  when  the  enterprises  of  the  enemy 
threatened  danger  to  the  Province,  and  it  was  weaker  ed  by 
the  employment  of  great  part  of  the  troops  stationed  there 
upon  another  service,  yet  as  tl:at  danger  is  now  over  and 
hostilities  between  the  two  nations  have  ceased,  it  was  nei- 
ther necessary  nor  politic  to  remove  them,  as  they  might  by 
a  proper  disposition,  promote  the  interest  of  the  colony, 
and  be  made  useful  members  of  society,  agreeable  to  what 
appears  to  be  the  sentiments  of  General  Amherst  in  his 
letter  to  the  Governor." 

In  March,  17G4,  the  number  of  Acadians  remaining  in  the 
Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  was  four  hundred  and  five  families, 
or  nearly  eighteen  hundred  souls,  besides  three  hundred  on 
Prince  Edward  Island.  In  December  of  that  year  "six 
hundred  Neutrals  departed  for  the  French  West  Indies, 
where  they  were  to  settle  on  lands  unfit  for  the  sugar-cane, 
and  although  they  had  certain  accounts  that  the  Ciimate  had 
been  fatal  to  the  lives  of  several  of  their  coiintryn)en,  who 
Lad  gone  there  lately  from  Georgia  and  Carolina,  their  res- 
olution was  not  to  be  shaken.  Thus  we  are  in  the  way  of 
being  rciieved  from  these  people  who  have  been  the  bane  of 


*  Govenior  Wiliuot,  snccessor  to  Grovemor  Belcher* 


AFFAIRS  IN  ACADIA 


2G1 


the  Province,  and  the  terror  of  its  sett'ements."  This 
would  leave  b;it  iibout  fifteen  hnndrel  Acriclian  French  with- 
in the  Pvovir.ce  of  Nova  Scotia  in  1702.  out  of  a  po^iulat  on 
of  nearly  eighteen  thousand  in  17o5,  previous  to  tl^j  first 
expulsion  from  Acadian  soil. 

"We  are  pleased  to  add  that  the  suggestion  of  the  Lo  .Is 
of  Trade,  to  absorb  into  the  population  the  reninaut  of 
French  Neuti-als  with'n  the  Province,  was  finali^',  by  h  ow 
degrees,  carried  into  efi'ect.  In  116/),  a  resolution  wa-i  tak- 
en, having  the  sanction  of  the  Governor  of  Quebec  an  1  No- 
va Scotia,  to  remove  all  the  ren)aini':>^-  Acalians  int )  some 
diKtaut  district  of  Canada.  Happi  }  that  measiu-e  was  nev- 
er put  into  execution.  Althc-u^h  the  Acadhin  e'.eiu  mt  iie'ps 
swell  the  population,  the  French  are  penaliarlya  uistinrtive 
people,  preserving  the  customs  and  the  language  of  tiieir 
foicl'athers,  even  when  surrounded  with  inoderu  innovations ; 
selilom  intermarrying  with  their  English  or  German  neigh- 
bors, and  living  apart  in  French  hamlets,  from  which  the 
outer  world  is  excluded.  A  bref  history  of  the  i\fada\vaska 
settlement  is  here  appended,  with  which  our  notice  of  the 
French  Neutrals,  except  as  spoken  of  iucideutally,  must 
close. 

The  Mac^awaska  settlement  is  a  range  of  clearing  at  h  ast 
sixty  miles  in  length,  with  the  town  of  Madawaswa  as  ihe 
center,  occupying  a  favorable  position  at  the  coisfiuence  of 
the  St.  John  and  Madawaska  Rivers.  This  settlement  con- 
tains upwards  of  eij^ht  thousand  inhabitants,  half  of  thetn 
living  withio  U^o  State  of  Maine.  Surroundiiig  ^ladawas- 
ka  is  an  im'nense  and  trackless  forest  which  "covers  an  ex- 
tent sev  "n  times  that  of  the  famous  Black  Forest  of  Germa- 
ny at  its  largest  expanse  in  modern  times.  The  States  of 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  and  .Delaware  could  be  lost  to- 
gether in  this  finest,  and  still  leave  about  each  a  margin  of 
wilderness  siiffioiently  wide  to  make  the  exploration  with- 
out a  compass  a  work  of  desperate  adveuLuro." 


; 


1 .  -.^- 


i 

^ 

J' 

'!! 

f 

' 

A 

fi 

f 


'■ 


i 


262 


ArADTA 


The  people  of  this  settlement  are  flescpnclerl  from  ihf 
French  eoionists  vvlm  hved  on  the  shores  of  tlie  Bay  of 
Fundy  and  the  iJasin  of  .Miiias,  who  fled  from  the  Aiinflo- 
Ainevican  troops  under  Sloiicton  and  Winslow,  and  to  )k 
refuse  in  the  forest.  A  portion  of  th<'m  fled  up  th'^  River 
S^.  Jolm  to  fcl]<^  present  site  of  FrediTickton,  \vh(To  ihey 
founded  the  viilaj^e  of  St.  Anne.  Here  anif)ng  the  lich 
meadows,  bcjrd,^r»'d  with  groves  of  stately  ehiis  and  otiier 
forest  trees,  the  Minas  and  Port  Royal  refng^es  established 
themselves  once  more,  and  be^jan  to  reap  tiie  beneiits  of 
well-directed  industry,  on  a  soil  as  fertile  as  any  the  sun  ever 
slioiie  ii[ion.  (Seventeen  years  passed  over  the  siniiin<>-  vil- 
lage of  .St.  Ann'  — then  came  another  evil  day  for  the  French 
who  had  aforetime  "dwelt  by  tho  Ba-^in  of  Alinas." 

In  17Si  ca'ue  the  American  Loyalists  into  'he  Province : 
th'Mnse'ives  exiles  from  tiieir  hoaies.  and  who,  as  their  fore- 
fntin.'rs  had  done,  drove  away  tlu^  uniiap))y  French  from 
their  farms  and  hresides ;  in  tiie  following  yeiir  the  Governor 
of  the  Piovince,  Sir  Guy  Carleton  of  Revolntitmary  fama, 
cstablish(  1  the  capital  here,  in  view  of  the  attractive  natural 
features  oi  tho  piacc* 

Provokcu  beyond  endurance,  the  Acadians  a  second  time 
Bet  out  in  search  of  a  home.  They  plunged  into  the  deplhs 
ol  the  forest,  and  evidently  thought  they  would  go  far  enough 
to  escape  being  again  molested.  The  traveler  over  the 
route  at  tlie  piesent  day  will  wonder  how  the  faujilies  man- 
aged to  travel  se  the  many  weary  miles  to  their  destination. 
A\'liere  was  then  an  unbroken  wilderness,  now  pretty  villag- 
es dot  the  landscape,  and  cidtivated  fields  meet  the  view 
In  the  names  of  the  settlements  and  the  ancestry  of  their  peo- 
ple the  liistory  of  the  British  Flag  can  be  traced.  A  fi  w 
miies  above  i'rederickton  is  the  riiral  })arisli  of  Kingsc.i'ar, 


'Nearly  njiposite  is  th«  ni' lilt h  of  tL(!  NushwMiik  lliver,  whoso  viill»>y 
Wns  settled  by  disbuuileil  soklioi  ■>  of  tuu  ukl  Uiuek  Watch  ['12d  Hiyldiiud- 


AFFAIRS  IN  ACADIA 


2(i'i 


1 

1 

eett^ecl  in  1784  by  tbe  '2d  Eattajon  of  New  Jersey  Loyalists. 
Fill  thur  ou  is  the  parish  of  Trinoe  William,  originally  set- 
tled by  the  King's  diagooiis,  and  now  uccuiiied  by  their 
<les;rendants;  also  the  hilly  uplands  of  the  parish  of  Quteus- 
bnry,  which  were  seLtled  by  tha  Q.ieen's  Kaiigertj  after  the 
Eevolutionary  war;  while  bej'ond  Woo'lstoek  are  districts 
peopled  by  the  descendants  of  the  AVest  India  Hangers  and 
New  Lrunssvick  Fencibles. 

The  tourist  next  jnisses  the  Grand  Falls,  and  afterwards 
■enters  the  Acaili.in-Freneh  settleim  nts  and  favniing  dislricts. 
Tae  rich  tuict-s  (-f  intoivale  along  the  rivoi's  iu  thits  locality, 
Aveie  siitBeient  to  attract  the  Acat-iian  refugees,  and  here  they 
ouce  more  began  to  caive  out  a  subsistence  from  ihe  wilder- 
iits.'.  A  Iniveier  writes:  "It  was  p.ea-anc  to  drive  along 
the  wide,  Hat  intervale  I'orining  the  Aladawaska  Valley;  to 
see  the  rich  crops  of  oats,  biici;wheat  and  potatoes,  and  tha 
coml'ortable  hou.ses  of  the  inhabitants;  a. so  the  river,  oa 
which  an  occusi(nial  boat,  laden  with  stores  for  the  luuiber- 
ers,  with  the  iielp  of  stnut  horses,  tcjiled  against  the  current 
towards  the  rareiy-visiied  lieadwaters  of  the  tributary 
Btreams,  where  the  virgin  forests  still  stand  unconscious  of 
the  ax."  This  district  is  studded  with  Ikuman  Catholic 
chape  s,*    from   whence,   each    morning   and   evening,  are 


*A  tnriosity  iu  this  pliioe  (Chicontiini,  a  few  miles  It  low  the  most 
sontlicrii  fiill  outlie  rivor)  is  11  rude  Catholic  chm-ch,  wlncli  is  said  to 
have  bc't'U  built  by  the  Jesuit  Alis>i(iimiirs  iiiiwnrds  of  ii  liiuitlicd  yi  an 
&'^(u  It  oc'cu|)io'<  ihf  crrttvof  a  t-'inssy  lawii,  iiirrouiidrd  by  a  <dnsti  r  of 
Vuod-ciM\vui'<l  liiUs,  luiil  c(iiii!iiaii(lsii  liiK' j)i(isiuct,  not  only  «f  thf  Samic- 
nay,  bui  also  ol' a  «prtcious  bay,  into  which  there  fini>tic>s  n  uobic  nioiui- 
tan  siuam,  uo^v  iaiowu  iis  ('hicontinii  lUvor.  In  (he  b(  Ifry  of  this  vcu. 
tiablt!  ci.iufli  liau:^s  a  cli  artunrd  btll,  wilh  an  inscvijilinn  upon  it  wliirb 
the  leiivnini;  of  Caniuli  (with  all  its  h  amrd  and  unnanibpred  priests)  l.ns 
Uiit  ytit  b(  i^n  aljK'  to  tran.-latf  or  vypound.  lint  u'li-at  a-,  is  thf  mystery  f)f 
this  niscriptiuu,  it  is  less  mysterious  to  my  mind  than  am  the  motives  o( 
the  Roniisli  (Jhiircii  iu  planting  the  cross  in  the  remotest  corners  of  tlie 
earth  iu>  iu  thu  u:i^Lliv.st  ol  uiiies.     (Churks  Luumun. ) 


m 


^ 

\ 

■  1 

1' 

m 


* 


264 


ACADTil 


heard  the  inntin  nncl  veSj^-rv  bel!<^,  in  f'^at  fnr  off  ^nv({.  Ad 
OLoasional  ruadside  shrine,  in  the  shape  oi  a  woudeu  cious, 
erected  al  the  iiiterBecoiou  ui  loadH,  uud  suii'ouuded  by  vo- 
tive oifeiiugs,  bei'ore  which  the  peasautiy,  as  they  pass,  id- 
wjiys  stoj)  to  cross  themselves  aud  offer  a  short  invocation 
to  the  patron  saint  in  whoso  honor  the  shrine  is  set  up,  is 
another  e\idence  oi'  the  devoteduess  of  a  people  to  the  re- 
ligion of  their  fathers. 

Another  peculiarity  of  these  settlements, — and  exclusive- 
ly a  French  custom,  whose  people  are  wont  to  live  in  ham- 
lets rather  than  apart  like  the  average  American  or  English 
farmer, — is  the  narrow  farms  of  the  Acadians.  The  dwel- 
lin,^s  of  a  farming  community  are  in  clusters  on  two  sides  of 
a  village  street,  while  the  faims,  only  a  few  rods  in  width, 
run  fai'  back  into  the  country.  The  following  is  a  picture 
of  a  Madawaslca  home : 

"  The  whole  aspect  of  the  farm  was  that  of  inctairie  in 
Normandy;  the  outer  doors  of  the  huuse  gaudily  painted, 
the  panels  of  u  different  color  from  the  fratne, — the  large, 
open,  uncarpetcd  room,  with  its  bare,  shining  floor, — the 
lasses  at  the  spinning-wheel, — the  French  costumes  and  ap- 
peauince  of  Madame  and  her  sons  and  daughters, — all  car- 
lied  me  back  to  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 


DOWNFALL  OF  FRENCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA. 


I 


In  January,  1757,  Lord  Loudon  arrived  in  Boston,  clothed 
witli  the  chief  romiuand  of  the  army  in  America.  He  caied 
together  his  military  council,  G')vernor  Lawrence  of  Nova 
8ci'tia  being  present  and  allowed  a  voice  in  the  consulta- 
tion. In  the  unasiires  pioposftd  for  the  overthrew  of  the 
Fi  fuch  in  America,  it  was  ih^ciihd  not  to  atteiiiyit  a  cornplete 
reduction  at  once;  but  by  coiic:^iit;atinp  all  their  force  at 
one  point,  win  their  way  giadiially  on  Fr.nch  teriitoiv. 
The  capture  of  Louisbourg  wa^  adjudg.d  the  first  enter- 
prist)  to  be  attempted,  and  Ha  ifax  was  tixed  upon  as  the 
place  of  rendezvous  for  the  11 '^et  and  army  desti'ied  for  the 
Work  of  detii()liti(m.  In  Jnly  of  that  year  Adiniral  H olb  irna 
nnivcd  at  Halifax  with  a  powerful  fleet,  having  on  board 
five  thousand  land  troo])8  under  command  of  Viscount 
Howe;  here  the  force  was  auirmented  by  Lord  Loudon  in 
person,  with  six  thousand  infantry  from  New  York.  Some 
small  vessels  v.ere  sent  (>ut  as  scouts  to  reconnoitre  the  en- 
emy, which  brou^'l.t  bnck  the  unwe  cnme  news  that  a  large 
fleet  of  French  ships  of  war  and  transports  were  riding  safe 
at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Louisliourg.  Though  many  were 
of  opinion  tiial  the  number  of  the  enemy  was  greatly  over- 
rated, the  intelligence  occasioned  extraordiTiary  fluctnati"n8 
in  the  Council  of  War.  Wliile  the  counsel^  for  nroseeuting 
the  expelitoii  with  v  gor  and  the  counter  ^  loposition  to  jjive 


'!■ 


2G6 


ACADIA 


\m  1 


it  up  eiitivciy,  were  being  ur<;ed  with  vehemence,  a  packet 
bouiul  fro!i<  Loiiisnour','  tn  i'lT-iice  ••\as  cupt.iretl  by  an  Eng- 
lish crcis^T  stationed  at  NLnv-FoamllaMil;  on  board  oi  this 
vessel  were  found  letters  by  which  it  appeared  th.uttiiere  vvere 
iu  rjouisljoiu-;;,  six  thousand  regular  troops,  threo  thois  lud 
re'<iuent  solili'^'s,  and  thirteoin  hundred  Luians,  aeventeen 
ships  of  the  line  and  three  frigates  being  moored  in  the  har- 
bor;  that  the  place  was  wcli  yUjiiIied  with  provisions  and 
all  kinds  of  military  stove^-,  and  that  the  enemy  wished  for 
nothing  more  than  to  be   attacked.     The  comir.aiidtrs  at 
Halifax  were  I'rdly  conscious  of  the  futility  of  atteuiijtiug  a 
rodnction  of  Louisboarg  under  those  circmnsavnces,  anil  also 
how  fatal  an  unsnceessfal  attempt  would  be  to  Britisii  in- 
tercs'sin  America:  it  wa?  res. Ivedtopostpone  the  attack  un- 
til some  more  convenient  op))oitraiity.     Admiral  Kol'ooiue 
determined  on  takiiig  a  look  at  the  enemy,  i)owove:-,  and  on 
the  'JOth  of  Augast  he  appciU'el  before  Louisboing  harbor 
with  fifteen  shiii3  of  the  ane,  four  frigates  and  live  ships. 
The  French  Admiral  at  o:ic3  maile  sigiial  to  uumjor,  mis- 
taking the  display  of  Engli.-h  sliipping  as  a  challenge  to  a 
combat  outside:  Ho. home's  intention  being  simply  to  recon- 
noitre, and  not  deeming  himself  strong  enough  to  copa  with 
so  formidable  an  aJversary,  he  sailed  back  to  Ilaliiax.     A 
few  weeks  afterwards,  having  been  joined  in  the  meaiiline 
by  four  additional  ships  of  war,  Aduiiiai  Holljorne  returned 
to  Louisbonr^r,  determine!  to  risk  a  naval  engagement  vvitii 
the  enemy;  t)u^  French  Admiral,  La  Motle,  wa-iin  no  humor 
to  tight  this  time,  unsupported  by  the  guns  of  the  fort — 
prubably  deeming  the  isjua  tor^  great  to  warrant,  volunta- 
rily, his  yielding  any  advantage:: 

The  i^ugiish  sipuiJrou  c()n;inu**<i  cruising  before  Louis- 
bourg  until  the  2<jtii,  when  a  te;~ibie  storm  broke  upou 
them.  In  twelve  hours  tue  whole  fl^-et  were  driven  within 
two  miles  of  Liie  break-ns  on  the  rock-bound  coast  of  Cap*^ 
Breton,  and  total  detitruction  seemed  iuoviiabie;  providen- 


^'  a 


POWNTAM.  OF  FltEXOr:  RTJLE  IX  AMERICA 


2C7 


tift^ly  tlie  win<l  vc^'V^fl  in  time  to  permit  tlio  yphroIs  tn  es- 
cape wit'i  aRiui^l'?  <"XCi-"^tIon.  Elevpii  shiiis  w-iv  dismustt-'fl, 
others  threw  their  cargoes  overboarrl,  liaif  of  the  wrrck^cl 
vesfjol's  crew  were  lost,  aiul  the  whole  fleet  retuBned  to 
Eii;.r:uid  in  a  shattere;!  coiuiiiion. 

This  unsnccfssful  oxiiedition  a/^ainst  Lonisbonirr,  by 
drawing  so  mariv  tr(X)ps  ami  vahiabl'^  nfaoei  s  away  from  the 
Coiitineut,  left  the  frortiors  of  the  Colonies  in  an  exposed 
situation;  the  French,  seizing  th'^r  opportunity  had  taken 
fi'll  possession  of  Lai.e  Champlain  and  Lale  George,  and 
likewise  of  all  the  territory  west  of  the  Alk-ghany  Mount- 
ains. But  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Titt  to  the  Premiership 
inspired  new  hopes  in  all  parties  a*^^  home  and  in  America. 
Immediately  on  assuming  the  duties  of  that  vffi"e  he  wrote 
a  circular  letter  to  the  Colonies,  assuring  th'in  of  a  dft"r- 
mii'.alion  on  his  ]iart  of  sending  out  an  immense  armanient 
early  in  the  season,  and  cal  ii^g  upon  them  to  co"per- 
ate  with  him  with  as  large  levies  of  Provhi^ial  tronp;  n^ 
they  conld  rnisc.  The  laU-'-r  were  ready  to  take  the  tield 
early  in  !Ma'-,  provion'-*  to  whi<'h  Admiral  Boscawon  had  ar- 
rived at  Hi'.lifiiy  'vith  a  fovmidiible  fleet,  and  a  powerful  ar- 
my under  Gcneird  Amherst. 

The  coral  in^d  forces,  with  the  ma'rnificent  array  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  cail,  and  fourteen  thousand  men,  pt-.t  to 
Rea.  and  on  the  2d  of  Jure.  17"8,  anchored  in  Gabarus  Bay, 
about  seven  miles  to  the  westward  of  Louisbourg.  The 
place  was  garrisoned  by  twenty-five  hundred  regular  troops 
and  three  hundred  miitia,  under  Chevalier  Drncor:  they 
were  afterwards  reinforced  by  three  hundred  an ;1  fifty  Cana- 
cliaiiS  and  Ind'ans.  Six  Frer'^h  ships  and  live  frigates 
guarded  tlie  1  arbor,  three  o*'  wbi'h  wei-e  sn!il-  at  the  entrance 
to  ob.:-truct  th  '  passage  of  the  English  ves.r'ls. 

Six  days  elapsed  be'^^ii'c  the  violence  of  the  surf  admitted 
of  an  atteroi  t  to  enlavk.  Oil  the  seventh  the  order  was 
givtn  to  effect  a  lauding.     The  truops  wure  dibtiibuted  in 


ip: 


i 


Ni 


i  ? 


268 


ACAPIA 


fchvce  divisions,  the  better  to  accomi^lish  their  purpose.  The 
lii^ht  and  ceuter  under  command  of  Governor  Lawrence  and 
General  Whitmore,  were  directed  to  make  a  show  of  land- 
inji;-,  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  French,  while  the  renlat- 
teiiijit  was  made  in  anotlier  quarter  by  the  left  division  tin- 
dor  General  Wolfe.  The  Frenc^h  reserved  their  tire  until  the 
bouts  had  nearly  reached  the  shore,  when  they  opened  up- 
on them  with  a  innrderoiis  discharge  of  grane  and  musket' 
ry  ;  this  had  tho  eifiu't,  aided  by  the  surf  which  was  now  hi;,di, 
to  overset  soaie  of  the  boats,  and  create  a  t'Mnporary  con- 
sternation aiii;>ng  tiie  English.  But  the  s])irit  and  example 
of  General  Wolfe  inspired  his  men  to  a  heroic  effo.t,  and 
the  beach  was  j;aixied  at  the  creek  of  Cormoraii,  not  without 
Bfcvei'e  loss:  and  the  French  were  compelled  to  take  shelter 
in  the  town. 

Tlie  stores  and  artillery  havinj^  v.ith  pfieat  difficulty  been 
lauded,  General  Wolfe  '.vns  (U'tach"d  witli  two  thousand  men 
to  take  possession  of  Liglit  House  Point,  an  important  post 
from  which  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  ana  the  town  might 
be  greatly  annoyed.  On  his  approach  the  French  ubau- 
doned  the  place;  the  Engasli  put  several  strong  batteriea 
tliere,  and  by  the  25th,  had  effectually  silenced  the  Island 
baltery,  which  was  directiy  opjjosed  to  it.  Tjie  besieged 
Lad  tried  the  effect  of  several  sallies  ou  the  assailants,  out 
to  little  purpose ;  while  the  English  were  making  slow  and 
cautious  approaches  to  the  fortress. 

Two  of  the  I'reuch  fleet  had  eluded  the  vigilance  of  the 
blockading  ship  and  escaped;  a  third,  on  inuking  a  siniiiaj 
attempt,  was  captured.  About  a  month  afterward,  one  of 
the  largest  of  the  French  ships  blew  u\) ;  the  explosion  hav- 
ing communicated  the  rire  to  two  other  vessels,  all  were  con- 
sumed to  the  water's  edge.  Admiral  Boscaweu,  following 
up  these  reverses  of  the  enemy,  sent  six  hundred  men  iu 
boats  to  make  an  attempt  ou  the  two  ships  of  the  line  yet 
I'tiMiiiUui^  ui'  the  Frcucii  fleet  iu  Lho  iJasui, — the  J^iudent, 


f 


I>OWNFALL  or  FUENCn  UUi.K  IN  AMERICA 


209 


f^ 


a  seventy-four,  and  the  liL  n/ni.sant.  u  si\ty-fi>;ir  gun  ship. 
The  former,  which  had  been  run  u;,iound  to  escapw  caiduie, 
was  clehtioyed;  the  luttei'  was  towed  past  the  l;atteiies  in 
tiiuniph,  the  English  losing  but  seven  men  laJled  and  nine 
wounded  This  gaLaut  exploit  put  th.)  English  in  posses- 
sion of  the  hai'b(n'.  In  the  nicMitijne  sivcial  breaches  had 
been  made  in  the  woriis  by  the  continual  eannojiade,  so  t  <• 
p. ace  was  no  longer  considered  utleusiblo.  The  Governor 
offered  to  capitu.ate  on  conditions  which  were  rejectiid  by 
tlif  Eiifjlish,  who  believed  they  were  in  a  way  to  enforce 
tliL-ir  own  teinis.  Admiral  Bo.scawen  demaiided  that  the 
garrison  should  surrender  tliemselves  prisoncjs  of  war,  vr 
sustain  an  assault  by  sea  and  laiid;  to  these  conditions,  im- 
uii.ia.iu;/  as  they  were,  the  French  were  obliged  to  subiiiit. 
Tiie  tn-ms  stipulated  tliat  tha  gavrisou  were  to  be  conveyed 
p:isoners  of  war  to  England;  that  the  provisions  and  miii- 
tary  stores  in  the  Islaiuls  of  Cape  Breton  and  St.  John  be 
dtlivered  over  to  the  English;  and  that  the  merchants  and 
clerks  who  had  not  carried  ai  ins,  be  seat  to  France. 

On  the  27tli  of  July,  three  companies  of  Grenadiers  took 
possession  of  the  Dauphin  Gate,  and  Gen.  Whitmore  was 
detached  into  the  fortress  to  see  the  garrison  lay  down  their 
anus  and  deliver  up  their  colors  on  the  esplanade,  and  to 
post  the  necessary  guards  within  the  town.  Thus  at  the 
expjnse  of  ab.uit  four  hundred  men,  in  killed  and  wounded, 
the  English  obtauied  i)ossession  of  the  important  Island  of 
Cape  Breton  and  the  strong  fortress  of  Louisbourg,  con- 
taining two  hundied  and  thirty-one  pieces  of  cannon,  eight- 
em  mortars,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  provisions  and 
military  stores.  Tlie  loss  of  this  fortress  was  the  more  se- 
verely felt  by  the  Frenc-h  King,  as  it  was  accompanied  by 
the  destruction  of  so  many  line-of-battle  ships  and  frigates. 

The  intelligence  of  this  brilliant  victory  to  the  British  dag 
was  conveye(i  to  England  by  a  swift-sailing  vi  .-.sel  dis- 
patched for  that   purpose,   and   which   likewise   conveyed 


•'  < 


\.  ;i 


i\'> 


m 


iJTO 


ACADM 


eleven  pni'rs  of  colors  taken  from  the  FrenMi.  Tli^sp  coTnrs 
AVfiv,  i-i^-  oidev  uf  liin  Maj'.;sly,  canie.l  in  poniioi.is  pjUiulB 
fvniii  Ih.j  I'a'iici'  of  Koiirtiiigtoii  to  6t.  Prul's  CiitliOLlruI.  t.s- 
cortod  1)V  d'.'tiii'linicDU  of  Hoiso  ami  Foot  Gr.aiJ.s,  with 
kettle-druiMS  and  trumpets,  where  t)ie  cnj^livo  fln/^s  woie  di'- 
pobited  as  tiophies,  under  a  discharge  of  cannon  and  oiLi^r 
demonstrative  expressions  of  triumph  and  exuliation. 

rtonic  vessels  were  sent  to  tako  possession  of  the  Island 
of  St.  John,  [i'l'inco  Eilward  Islu!'.  I,]  which,  from  its  po- 
sition in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lavvtvnce,  anil  the  fertiiity  of  it^i 
Boil,  had  since  the  bej^inning  of  rlio  war  supplied  Quebec 
vith  a  considerable  quantity  of  provisions.  It  was  likewise 
the  asyjum  to  wliich  the  Fr'-uch  Neutials  of  AnnapoUs  liad 
lied  tlnee  years  pievious,  auil  the  re'  r.^at  from  whence  tiiey 
a"ul  their  Indian  udies  used  to  umke  their  irruptioiiS  into 
Kova  Scotia.  Over  four  thoutiand  French  inl  abiiaiit-?  sub- 
mitted and  brought  in  their  arms.  In  the  Governor's  quar- 
ters were  found  several  English  Si'al])o  tliat  liad  been  bi  o'Ui;ht 
in  by  the  Indians,  who  had  been  awarded  by  the  Fre.ich  a 
certain  premium  on  every  scalp.  The  Island  wa^j  found  to 
be  noli  slocli<nl  with  cattle,  and  some  of  the  farmers  raii--ed 
each  twelve  hundred  bushels  of  corn  every  year  for  the  Que- 
bec market. 

Previous  to  the  fall  of  Louisbourg  the  cause  of  the  French 
ill  America  be^an  to  wane  ;  her  dec.ine  after  that  evei.t  was 
rapid.  Afier  an  ill-judged  but  gallant  assault  upon  Ticon- 
deroga,  in  whicii  Ambercrombie  was  defeated  with  the  loss 
of  two  thousand  men,  he  dispatched  Colonel  Bradstreet  with 
a  force  against  Frontenac*  by  way  of  Oswego  and  Lake 
Ontario,  The  capture  of  this  was  easily  eft'ected,  in  winch 
\ve;o  found  sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  an  imuiense  quantity 
of  stores.  Bradstreet  lost  very  few  men  in  action ;  but  a 
terrible  disorder  bioke  out  in  camp   wliich  proved  fatal  to 


*ldaii^tou,  Upper  Cauada. 


row^-yALt  or  prescii  h^le  in  America 


271 


five  liundi  f  J  of  iLe  gallaiit  littb  army.  On  tbsir  return  thoy 
buiit  a  foit  on  tl.e  oito  of  Ilomo,  N.  Y.,  to  whi(.'h  they  gitve 
the  name  of  i-'oit  Staawix. 

The  n'<liieti'»n  of  Fort  du  Qiiosiie  wns  floon  arterward  ac- 
coiiiplishcvl  \>y  the  forces  uudcr  Gciicral  j'o.be-*,  who  ii:  coiu- 
pli'.'U'ut  to  tho  riviiiicr  under  wUosa  avuijiicos  tli' se  opeva- 
tii.  11-  we  e  co!.d.icti;d,  gave  it  tlio  namo  of  Pift-.I)  rg. 

Major  Geueral  Amherst  had  uow  [IToOJ  succeedod  to  the 
ccmiiiaiid  of  thf-  army  in  North  America;  ho  siijiialiZ''  I  iiis 
fi])]  ointment  by  the  bold  project  of  attumptiu;,'  tlie  entire 
coKijuebt  of  C'ana  la.  His  pl;in  was  to  send  thice  j)(>\\.irul 
nriiiics  into  the  country  by  different  routo-j,  an  1  si'uu'tune- 
ously  attack  all  the  strongholds  of  the  French.  The  cm p- 
tineof  Quebec,  tbt;  rtiiu'  tionof  Niugani,  and  the  invest  iii.nfc 
of  Ticonderoga  aiid  Crovn  Poii.t,  by  the  scveiul  diusio  is  of 
the  arnj}',  weie  tc/nip.etcly  succf  sslul.  ^MilitaiT  nif  u  i  nve 
I'ondc'nned  this  pan  as  subject  to  many  casiialticM  wiiioU 
ii;ight  have  fiuslvatedits  executi'ui  and  endangered  tha  safe- 
ty of  each  division  of  th.^ann}',  but  circumstances  were  pro- 
pitious to  tlr.i  fcucc'-Si  of  the  English  arms. 

The  division  sent  avainsi  Quebec  was  commanded  by 
General  Wolfe,  ai'.d  consisted  of  eight  thousand  troop  <  un- 
der convoy  of  twenty-two  !in9-of-battle  ahip:^,  ard  a  like 
Euiabo*  of  fiigatP3  ar.d  smaller  vessels.  An  unsuccessful 
nttack  on  the  Fre^^ch,  July  31st,  resulted  in  a  loss  of  five 
Iji'.iidred  of  the  E.'igiish  troops.  At  the  beginning  of  Sep- 
teiiiLer.  as  Wolfe  lay  in  his  tent  prostrate  from  fevei-,  brought 
on  by  excessive  lubt-r  and  over-anxiety,  he  called  a  council 
of  war;  on  the  suggestion  of  Townsend,  it.  wai  decided  to 
inahe  a  second  attempt  by  scaling  tho  bights  of  Aljraha'u. 
and  assailing  the  town  on  its  wcal.est  siile.  Wolfe  iieavtily 
endorsed  the  plan,  and  ho  arose  from  his  sick-bed  to  I'vid 
the  at  cauit  iu  person.  The  English  v/eie  encamped  at  IMont- 
inorecci,  below  tlie  town  ;  on  the  13th  the  camp  was  broken 
up,  the  soidicis  eniLaiked  on  board  several  vessels  of  the 


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27-3 


ACADIA 


fleet,  and  at  evonipg-  a''cen<lecl  several  miles  above  fhe  city.. 
Leaving  the  sliips  at  midii^ht,  tlioy  etnhar'ceJ  in  flat-br>ats^ 
and  with  nmflfied.  oars  droyvped  silently  down  stream,  arriv- 
ing opposite  the  mouth  of  a  ravine  a  niiie  and  a  half  from 
the  city,  at  wliich  point  they  eff^^cted  a  landinpf, 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Howe  led  the  van  up  the  ravine  at  dawn,, 
in  the  face  of  a  sharp  tire  from  the  guard  above ;  he  was 
closely  followed  by  his  generals  and  the  remainder  of  tie 
troops,  with  artillery;  at  suiuisn  tlio  entire  army  stood  in 
battle  array  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham. 

The  surprise  of  Montcalm  at  thi^  siidden  api)earance  of  a 
hostile  army  before  the  eity  at  its  most  vulnerable  pointy 
was  only  equaled  Ijy  his  ff.ars  for  the  safety  of  the  place. 
He  was  already  nut-,::;'eneraled. —  nothing  now  remained  but 
to  IJftht  as  a  soldier.  He  brought  his  army  aci'oss  tiie  St. 
Charles  River,  and  by  nine  o'clock  the  French  were  diawn 
up  in  line  of  battle  between  the  Britisli  troops  and  the  city. 

The  moment  was  big  with  interest  to  tiie  two  great  powe.  9 
of  Europe ;  this  battle  was  to  determine  the  supremacy  of 
i\w  Jkur-de-lls,  or  the  banner  and  cioss  of  St.  George,  on 
the  .\merican  Continent.  Montcalm,  v»ith  7.50Q  well-ti  ained 
soldi'-rs,  confronted  4,800  British  vegular.s  under  Wohe. 
Both  generals  were  youjig  men,  enjoying  the  full  contidence 
of  the  soldiers,  ranking  among  the  highest  of  the  military 
chieftains  of  Europe,  and  each  ambitious  to  signalize  the  day 
by  a  grand  victory  for  his  respective  King.  The  scene  was 
beautifully  grand — the  quiet  landscape,  the  rolling  river, 
the  spires  and  tin  roofs  of  the  city,  the  evolutions  of  the 
tioojis,  all  lighted  up  by  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  and 
enlivened  by  the  blare  of  trumpets,  the  roll  of  drums  and 
tiie  strains  of  martial  music.  Yet  the  beautiful  scei;e  was 
in  a  moment  to  be  changed.  The  ominous  loll  of  muslcetry. 
the  suioke  of  battle,  the  angered  voices  of  the  conibat.ints, 
nnd  tile  groans  of  tlie  wounded  and  dying,  were  to  succeed 
this  scene  of  earthly  ma^niliceuce. 


I;  I 


rOWNFALL  OF  FRENCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA 


273 


Moiitca''m  led  the  attack.  The  French  came  on  with 
their  wmiteil  impc-tuosity.  The  c^Tposing  ranks  of  the  Eng- 
lisli  stool  with  arms  at  vest  as  if  on  jiarade,  motionless 
Oiily  as  tbey  closed  up  the  ghastly  gaps  after  receiving  each 
voile}', — then  as  calmly  awaiting  the  next.  Nearer  and 
nearer  came  the  jilatoons  of  the  French ;  deadlier  the  stream 
of  leaden  fire  tliat  rained  against  the  living  wall ;  yet  not  a 
British  soldier  vacated  his  post  only  as  his  life  '^vent  out, 
when  his  comrades  silently  and  mechanically  closed  up  the 
breach,  and  presented  the  same  unbroken  front  of  scarlet- 
coated  veterans.  The  ranks  of  the  English  were  fast  melt- 
ing away  before  the  murderous  fire ;  fully  one-  fourth  of  their 
number  had  already  fallen,  yet  not  a  shot  had  been  returned, 
not  a  tittle  of  the  strictest  military  discipline  had  been  vio- 
lated; — they  stood  calmly  awaiting  the»order  to  fire. 

The  practical  eye  of  Wolfe  now  saw  the  opportune  mo- 
ment had  arrived.  The  French  were  within  forty  yards  of 
the  British  lines,  and  still  advancing.  The  necessary  or- 
ders were  given.  Every  gun  along  the  whole  line  was 
brought  into  position  with  all  the  coolness  and  precision  of 
a  review  parad-,  as  if  the  who!e  were  one  great  machine, 
moving  obcditnly  to  the  touch  of  the  engineer.  A  fiarue 
of  fire  belched  forth  from  hundreds  of  black-throated  bajrels 
as  though  from  a  single  gun:  the  French  line  was  carried 
forward  by  its  own  momontuui  a  few  paces,  then  reeled, 
and  it  seemed  tho  whole  rank  had  fallen.  When  the  smoke 
from  the  volley  had  cleared  away,  what  a  scene  of  carnage 
was  there  disclosed!  Before  the  French  could  recover, 
"Wolfe  gave  the  order  to  charge;  in  a  few  moments  the 
Frenih  were  flying  in  tveiy  direction,  leaving  the  Biitish 
ma>iters  of  the  field.  England,  through  the  valor  of  the  he- 
roic Wolfe,  had  won  a  right  to  assert  her  supremacy  over 
tlie  soil  of  America. 

Wolfe  and  Montcalm  were  both  fatally  wounded  on  the 
field  of  buttle,  and  tho  concluding  movements  of  the  con- 


i      l> 


274 


ACADIA 


flict  were  carried  on  by  their  cdiicers.  As  the  eyes  of  Wolfe 
were  closing  in  (ieaUi.  his  well-trained  ear  detected  shouts 
of  victory.  "The  French  give  way  everywhere,"  said  au 
officer  in  response  to  his  inquiry.  ''Then,"  said  he,  "I  die 
contented. '  With  one  more  effort — the  last  order  he  wua 
to  gi  "e,  the  last  word  he  was  to  speak — he  said;  "Tell  Coh 
Burton  to  march  Webb's  regiment  with  all  speed  to  St. 
Charles  River,  to  cut  off  ihe  retieat,"  and  immediately  ex- 
pired. 

Montcalm,  on  receiving  his  mortal  wound,  was  carried  in- 
to the  city;  and  when  told  that  he  must  die,  he  said,  "i^o 
much  the  better;  I  shall  then  b3  spared  the  mortification  of 
seeing  the  surrender  of  Quebec." 

Gieat  was  the  enthusiasm  displayed  by  the  English  peo- 
ple everywhere,  on  the  overthrow  of  French  uoiuiuatioii  on 
American  soil.  Illuuiinations,  patriotic  addresses,  and  pub- 
lic rejoicings  were  giveLi  in  every  town  throughout  Euglaud, 
except  the  little  Kentish  village  of  Westerham,  where  lived 
the  widowed  mother  of  Wolfe,  who  now  mourned  the  death 
of  au  only  son. 

It  may  l.)e  that  other  mothers  have  felt  the  pangs  of  sep- 
aration from  a  heart's  idol  as  poignantly  as  did  this  widow, 
but  we  doubt  if  a  mother's  grief  was  ever  before  shared 
with  such  unanimity  by  a  whole  nation,  or  that  a  hero's  ut^ath 
was  ever  more  gratifying  to  the  heart  of  the  true  soldier 
than  was  that  of  Wolfe  expiring  amid  the  salvos  of  artillery, 
the  shouts  of  victory,  and  assured  of  the  blessings  of  the 
English -speaking  people  of  two  Continents. 

Wolfe's  remains  were  embalmed  and  sent  to  England. 
They  were  lauded  at  Plymouth  with  the  highest  honors, 
minute  guns  were  lired,  the  flags  hoisted  at  half-mast,  and 
rtn  escort  with  arms  reversed  received  the  coffin  on  the  shore, 
They  were  then  conveyed  to  Greenwich,  and  buried  beside 
those  of  his  father  who  had  died  but  a  few  months  before. 

Tlie  remains  of  his  brave  competitor,  Montcalm,  still  re- 


.jlancl. 
jonois, 
3t,  and 
shv)i'e. 
I  beside 
[efove. 
Itill  re- 


rOW>-PALL  OP  FRENCH  RULE  IN  AMERICA 


275 


pose  in  the  Ursuline  Convent  at  Quebec,*  in  an  excavation 
in  its  waV  made  by  a  shell  during  the  action  in  which  he 
lost  his  life.  The  French  and  English  residents  of  the  ci'^y 
have  erected  a  monument  on  the  battle-flold,  ueJicateJ  to 
the  liiiked  m  moiy  oi  uoife  and  Montcalm. 


•Montcalm's  sliuU  is  carefully  preserved  under  glasa 


il' 


cs 


it> 


m 


'  \ 


\   I 


ENGLISH  OCCUPATION. 


With  tlio  fall  of  Quebec  and  other  French  rovoi'so?,  (he 
EiJ'jlish  became  complete  n^astcrs  of  a  teiTitory  which  hacl 
bfon  a  source  of  bitter  stiife  for  upwards  of  two  centuries, 
and  a  delinite  treaty  was  Rip;ned  at  Paris  between  France  and 
England  on  the  lOtli  of  February,  1763. 

Tlie  English  deemed  it  inexpedipnt  to  maintain  a  costly 
garrison  at  Louisbourg;  and  as  its  capture  at  anj-  future 
period  by  the  French  miglit  endanger  the  safety  of  Nova 
Scotia,  the  Brilish  crown  deternii):ed  on  its  reduction.  Ac- 
cordingly, a  company  of  sappers  and  miners  had  been  sent, 
who,  in  the  space  of  six  months,  at  an  immense  expenditure 
of  money  and  labor,  reduced  the  fortifications  to  a  heap  ol 
cubbish  by  means  of  mines,  judiciously  exploded.  The  .valla 
and  glacis  were  leveled  with  the  ditch,  and  nothing  was  left 
standing  but  the  private  houses,  which  had  been  badly  torn 
and  shattered  during  the  siege,  together  with  the  hospital 
and  a  barrack  capable  of  holding  three  hundred  men.*  At 
the  present  time  neither  roof  nor  spire  remains, — no  street, 
convent,  church,  nor  barrack.     "  The  green  turf  covers  all— 


*  Much  of  the  buildinc;-stone  composing  this  fortress,  so  it  is  said,  \va* 
transported  hither  from  France.  At  its  ved»ictitm,  coueiflevnblp  of  this 
material  was  conveyed  to  distant  p.ivts.  Some  of  the  public  buildings  ia 
Halifax,  and  many  of  the  stone  edifices  in  the  various  cities  along  thfi 
New  England  coast  as  far  as  Uostou,  contain  portions  of  this  once  power« 
fill  furUess. 


rSGLISH   OCCUPATION 


277 


even  the  fouuclalioije  of  tie  bcu&es  are  buried.  It  is  a  city 
■without  an  inhabitant.  Dismounted  cannon,  broken  bavo- 
Eets,  gun-locks,  shot  and  slieil,  corroded  and  corroding,  in 
silence  and  desolation,  with  no  feigns  of  life  visible  upon 
tliese  wai'-like  battlements  except  tiie  fl'cksof  shec-p, — these 
aie  the  only  relics  of  once  powerful  Loiiisbourg." 

fcjays  a  recent  writer,  "  With  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  the  his- 
tory of  Acadia  ends."  In  our  opinion  the  record  would  be 
quite  incomplete,  did  we  not  include  the  subsequent  for- 
tunes of  the  many  Acadians  who  eventually  returned  to  the 
country,  if  not  to  the  soil,  from  whence  they  were  expati  ia- 
ted;  or  failed  to  mention  the  circumstances  attendin;.;  tl)e 
re-peop]ing  of  the  vast  amount  of  fertile  lands  vacated  by 
the  dispossessed  French  farmers. 

The  local  government  at  Halifax  went  vigorously  to  work 
to  insure  the  tranquility  of  the  Province,  and  to  induce  cm- 
igiation  from  the  Continent.  In  17G1  there  arrived  Irom 
Boston  six  vesseiS,  having  on  board  two  hundred  settlers, 
and  four  schooners  from  Rhode  Island  with  half  that  num- 
ber; New  London  furnished  one  hundred  emigrants,  and 
Plymouth  one  hundred  and  eighty,  making  in  all  live  hun- 
dred and  eighty  ;jou1s.  Two  hundred  persons  arrived  from 
the  north  of  Ii'eiand  about  the  same  time,  followed  by  ad- 
venturers from  other  places:  these  early  emigrants  laid  the 
foundations  of  those  beautiful  townships  which  line  the 
shores  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  Basin  of  Minas. 

His  Majesty's  ministers,  soon  after  the  removal  of  the 
French,  expressed  a  wish  that  their  cultivated  lands  should 
be  reserved  for  militaiy  settlers;  but  Governor  Lawrence, 
who  had  been  bred  to  the  profession  of  arms,  and  was  well 
ac(|uainted  with  the  habits  of  soldiers,  prevailed  upon  the 
Government  to  relinquish  the  design  at  that  time.  Law- 
rence's objections  were,  that  besides  their  transportation, 
such  settlers  must  be  f  uruisaod  with  provisions  i'ur  one  year, 
with  materials  and  tools  for  building,  implements  of  iius- 


273 


ACADTi 


il       * 


bandry,  and  cattle  to  stock  their  lands ;  for  soldiers,  wbo 
Lave  notbing  of  their  own  to  set  out  with,  will  nece->saiily 
bo  in  want  of  everything  at  the  beginning.  According  to 
his  ideas  of  the  military,  they  are  the  least  qualified,  from 
their  occupation  as  soldiers,  of  any  class  of  men  to  ea  ab- 
lisli  a  new  country,  where  they  must  encounter  ditHcuJies 
with  which  tliey  are  altogether  unacquainted.  He  further 
asserted  that  every  soldier  that  Imd  come  into  that  Prov- 
ince had  either  quitted  it  or  become  a  drams(41er. 

These  remonstrances  had  the  desired  effT'ct,  and  those 
va.uable  reserves  were  thrown  open  to  an  industrious 
ckss,  whose  occupation  had  always  been  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil.  The  great  distance  of  Nova  Scotia  from  the  iNew 
England  colonies,  the  expense  of  moving  lamilies  thither, 
tlie  opposition  of  friends  and  fear  of  the  Indians,  tended 
greatly  to  check  the  tide  of  eraigia.ion  to  that  Proviuce,  of 
which  such  glowing  accounts  had  bten  given.  However,  on 
the  12ih  of  December,  1760,  Croveruor  Pelc'ier  wrote  the 
Board  of  Trade:  "'I  have  the  satisfaction  to  acquaint  your 
Lordships  that  the  towrjf-hips  of  Horton,  CornwalJis  und 
Falmouth,  are  so  weil  estabJished  that  everything  bears  a 
hopeful  appearance ;  as  soon  as  these  townships  were  laid 
out  by  the  surveyor,  palisaded  forts  were  erected  in  each  of 
them,  with  room  to  secure  ail  the  inhabitants.  After  the 
necessary  business,  the  proper  seaS'^n  coming  on,  they  were 
emploj'ed  in  gathering  hav  for  the  winter."  About  tins 
time  they  put  some  corn  and  roots  into  the  ground.  The 
late  Governor  "having  made  a  progress  into  these  feettle- 
mtnts,"  after  having  regulated  several  matters,  the  repai.  of 
the  dikes  was  his  tirst  care.  For  this  purpose  the  inhabit- 
ants, with  their  cattle  and  carriages,  at  their  owvi  expen-e, 
were  joined  with  some  of  the  Provimial  tioops  and  Acadi- 
ans,  who  were  best  acquainted  with  works  of  this  kind. 

The  next  pubiic  impiovement  was  the  making  of  a  road 
from   Halifax   to   these   settlements.     All  the  troops  that 


I!      i 


ENGLISH  OCCUPATION 


279 


s  a 

laid 

hof 

the 

were 

this 

The 

ttle- 

■ai.  of 


road 
that 


could  be  s^mred  from  duty  were  tmp.oyed  on  this  work. — 
The  pass«a<^e  bf-twecn  these  poi]it.s  was  very  diffiriilt  ut  that 
time,  oil  account  of  dense  swamps  and  broken  bridges.* 
The  greater  part  of  the  expense  attending-  the  labor,  wrute 
Governor  Belchor,  will  be  defrayed  '•  out  of  a  sum  of  money 
appropriated  from  a  ^~eizure  of  molassc  s." 

Many  of  the  people  were  in  good  circumstances,  having 
transported  themselves  and  their  fffects  at  their  own  ex- 
pense; as  lor  the  poorer  class,  there  was  provision  made  for 
them  until  the  following  August.  In  the  township  of  Liv- 
eij  ool,  says  the  Governor,  "they  are  now  employed  in 
bui  ding  three  vessels  for  the  flsheiy,  have  laid  in  hay  fur 
the  winter  fodder  of  their  cattle,  and  have  raised  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  roots,  and  erected  a  grist  and  saw  mill. 
They  have  sixteen  sail  of  fishing  iLchooners,  and  although 
some  of  them  came  late  in  the  season,  they  hava  cured  hear 
five  hundred  quintals  of  fish.  In  regard  to  the  townships 
of  Granville  and  Annapolis,  about  thirty  propiietors  are  set- 
tled in  each ;  as  they  came  late  in  the  year,  they  did  not 
bring  all  their  families,  but  are  preparing  against  their  ar- 
rival in  the  spring The  perfect  establishment  of 

the  settlements  depends,  in  a  very  great  degree,  in  the  re- 
pairs of  the  dikes,  for  the  security  of  the  marsh  lands,  from 
whence  the  support  of  the  inhabitants  will  become  easy  and 


Si 

m 


*  Dr.  M'Gregor,  one  of  the  early  Presbyterian  preachers  sent  over  from 
Scotland  into  this  Province,  thus  describes  one  of  these  bridges  :  "Over 
an  upright  pier,  on  each  side  of  the  river,  were  laid  three  long  logs,  at 
least  forty-tive  feet  li.up;,  so  as  to  extend  fifteen  feet  beyond  the  pier  ou 
the  river,  the  other  cud  extending  thirty  feet  vn  the  land,  and  haviuf^ 
heavy  logs  laid  across  them  near  the  end,  to  overbalance  any  weii,'ht  that 
might  be  ou  the  bridge.  The  long  lo^^s  are  called  buliucnts.  Three  oth- 
er log-s  were  laid  with  their  ends  resting  on  the  inner  ends  of  the  but- 
ments,  fifteen  feet  from  the  piers,  filling  the  interval  space.  The  round 
of  the  npper  surface  of  the  log  was  hewn  away  by  the  ax,  and  thus  ths 
bridge  was  finished  with  nine  long  logs.  Spans  of  ninety  or  one  him- 
'li&l  feet  ^Tf  made  iu  this  way. " 


I      i 


280 


ACKTiTJt 


>   I 


i. 

5i' 

i- 

'  1   •  ■ 

it 

tl' 

1 

■1,- 

i 

1  H 

^  r'^ 

;i| 

1 

plentiful.  I  ImmTily  conceive  thnt  tlio  dilcou  maybcpiitiTitc 
Ten-  c^noil  con  lition  if,  with  join  Lordship's  uppro'uation. 
011^'  huiiiirecl  of  the  French  inliabitnnts  niuv  be  employed  in 
different  jiarts  of  the  F  ovince  to  assist  and  instruct  in  tlieir 
repairs,  tlio  new  settlers  Laving  come  from  a  country  in 
in  which  such  works  are  not  needed." 

In  the  snmirer  of  17G1,  thirty  f.-unih'es  from  the  Province 
of  ^Fassar-hnsetts  landed  in  Onslow,  at  the  head  of  Cobe- 
quid  Ba3'.  They  brouj^fht  with  them  twenty  head  of  homed 
cattle,  eight  horses  and  seventy  sheeji ;  but  their  stock  of 
provisions  was  altogetlier  inadequate  to  their  wants,  aiid  was 
consumed  in  six  months.  From  this  circumstance  they  were 
reduced  to  gi\at  privations.  During  the  second  year  tlie 
government  supplied  them  with  Indian  corn,  and  they  add- 
ed to  their  food  supply  by  li-hing  and  hunting.  On  their 
arrival  they  found  the  country  laid  waste  to  prevent  the  le- 
turn  of  the  Acadians,  but  five  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of 
marsh  land  were  still  under  dilce;  and  about  forty  acres  of 
upland  a'ound  the  ruined  ho us^es,  which  were  partially  over- 
grown with  shrubs,  were  c!e;ued.  Remains  of  the  French 
roads,  which  wei'e  confined  to  the  marsiies,  are  visible  to 
this  day.  Near  the  sites  of  their  buildings  are  found  fann- 
ing implements  and  kitchen  utensils,  which  they  bad  buried 
in  the  earth  under  the  hope  of  being  permitted  some  day 
to  return  to  their  possessions. 

At  this  time  New  Brunswick  was  included  in  Nova  Scotia, 
and  denominated  the  County  cf  Sunbury.  The  extreme 
fertility  of  the  intervales  of  New  Brunswick  had  attiacted 
the  attention  of  the  British  officers  who  had  been  stationed 
in  the  country.  Some  of  th.em  procured  extensive  gratits  of 
territory;  among  them  General  Gage,  a  large  tract  at  tlie 
head  of  the  Long  Eeach.  St.  John  River;  Col.  Spry,  a  large 
grant  near  Jemseg ;  Col.  Mangers,  a  grant  at  Muggers 
Island :  and  Major  J3ight  secured  title  to  live  thousand  acres 
since  known  as  the  Ten  Lots  in  Sheffield.     It  was  unfortun- 


EKOMSH   OCCrPATION 


281 


e  to 
t'arni- 
uneii 


ate'y  the  case  then  as  now,  that  favorites  of  thoge  in  power, 
and  ijiontyt'il  speculators,  secure  luonopolios  to  the  detri- 
meiit  of  the  masses  and  the  consequent  hindrance  of  nation* 
al  prosperity. 

In  17G3,  the  firm  of  Simons,  Hazen  &  White,  established 
themselves  at  St.  John  Harbor,  and  a  Scotdiman  nuTued 
John  Anderson  salected  the  flat  of  Frederickton  for  his  farm 
and  trading,'  post.  Several  faiuihes  from  the  Parishes  of 
Rowley,  Andover  and  Boxford,  near  Boston,  ejuic^ruted  to 
the  River  St.  John  during  that  and  the  following  season,  in 
a  couple  of  packet  sloops,  of  about  forty  tons  burden  each, 
and  commanded  by  Captains  Newman  and  Ilowe.  The  for- 
mer came  first  with  the  emigrants,  and  the  latter  became  an 
annual  trader  to  the  River,  his  sloop  being  the  only  means 
of  communication  between  the  pilgrims  and  their  native 
land. 

There  were  small,  detached  French  villages  located,  at 
that  time,  in  the  rich  intervale;  but  the  uncougeniality  of 
their  English  neighbors,  no  doubt,  was  the  cause  of  their 
migratin;;'  farther  into  the  wilderness.  The  New  Eng  and 
settlers  connnenced  clearing  the  soil  and  preparing  for  the 
first  crop  ;  they  were  dcliglited  with  the  rapid  growth  and 
favorable  prospect,  when  an  early  frost  put  an  end  to  their 
hopes  for  that  year.  Before  relief  arrived,  the  next  season, 
they  suffered  much  for  want  of  food. 

These  emigrants  had  taken  the  precaution  to  obtain  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  Government  at  Halifax,  securing 
five  hundred  acres  to  each  man  of  a  family.  They  were  de- 
sirous of  settling  near  together,  and  each  sliaring  in  the  rich 
intervale  on  the  river  bank;  they  therefore  laid  out  their 
lots  ten  chains  in  width,  and  extending  back  Lve  hundred 
and  fifty  chains  [neai'ly  seven  miles],  making  eight  farms  to 
a  mile  in  breadth  on  the  river.* 


•  Hatheway. 


282 


ACAOU 


i?l 


m'  I 


Hi 


The  resettlement  of  the  eountjy  unJer  English  patrou- 
age  couritjutjj  very  siow  aiitil  tiie  outbreiik  of  the  llcvo- 
lution,  when  the  poijuiution  was  auguientcd  by  the  ainval 
of  Tory  refugees  from  the  revoltiug  coiouies,  styled  in  the 
Cai.uJiau  rroviiictH  "UiiiLeJ  Eiui^iio  Lojuliots;"  who,  to 
thi)  iiuiuber  of  twenty  thousuuil,  with  their  eiiects,  sought 
here  a  home.  Many  of  these  were  among  the  "first  fami- 
lies" in  the  country  from  whence  ihty  had  tied,  and  provetl 
a  valuable  act-esbion  to  the  Province,  by  cievatiiig  the  bocitJ 
Btnnciing  of  the  conjmunity,  and  adding  a  valuable  elemcxj 
to  the  industrial  population. 

Scarce  twenty  years  agone,  we  saw  a  whole  people  of 
French  descent  viokntly  expatriated  frcm  this  soil  by  the 
joint  efforts  of  native  and  colonial  Critons,  on  the  asbertt  J 
ground  of  the  ininutal  tendencies  of  their  bijoted  religion 
and  Papist  priestliond.  Now  we  behold  a  violent  rvipture 
between  the  English  colonies  and  their  mother  country,  and 
between  the  co.onists  themselves;  and  some  of  the  latter, 
in  their  turn  expatriated,  are  I'oieed  to  seek  an  asylum  in 
the  laud  from  which  they  had  helped  to  drive  away  the 
French. 

The  strange  perversities  of  the  human  mind,  and  the 
marked  effect  that  self-interest  exerts  over  one's  opinions 
and  prejudices,  were  never  more  appaient  than  as  exhib- 
ited in  the  march  of  the  events  of  which  we  write.  When 
au  excuse  was  wanting  to  drive  the  French  from  their  ter- 
ritory in  America,  the  xiritish  Ministry,  the  Council  at  Hal- 
ifax, and  the  Colonial  Governmeu*-"  each  openly  denounced 
that  i^eople  as  " equally  cruel  and  perfidious  as  their  savage 
allies."  In  1774  both  England  and  the  coiouies  were  aux« 
ioufc)  to  secure  tne  services  of  the  French  Catholics  of  Can- 
ada in  the  contiict  then  impending  between  them.  The 
British  Ministry  restored  to  them  their  ancient  civil  pro- 
cedure, together  with  the  full  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  per- 
taining to  the  Papibt  priesthood:  this  was  done  with  the 


EN'CI.ISH  OCCUPATTOX 


283 


view  of  conciliating  the  priests,  and  by  that  means  win  over 
tliH  cuiiiiium  leoplo  to  thrir  iuttnsts.  On  the  other  huud, 
although  a  Inw  wiih  at  that  time  on  the  statute-book  of 
Ilhode  Ibland,  making  it  a  penn!  offence  fbr  a  Roman  (.'ath- 
olic  to  set  foot  on  her  soil,  the  coh)nies  sent  a  inessag(,'  to 
their  neighbors  of  Canada,  in  which  they  said;  "We  a-e  too 
Wei;  acc|uaiiueu  with  the  liberalitv  of  sentiment  di-;t.ingiiish- 
ing  your  nation,  to  imagine  that  difference  of  re.igioii  will 
prejudice  you  against  a  hearty  amity  with  us."  * 

Count  d'Estaiug,  of  the  coiip^rating  Frencli  fl.^et  cruising 
on  tlie  American  seaboard  in  1778,  vainly  trie!  L  •  i'lflucnce 
his  (yanadian  fellow-countrymen,  by  calling  to  ren^  ibrance 
the  natural  ties  which  bound  them  to  the  raca  tl  o\  sprang 
from.  The  reproachful  saying  of  Lafa;  ett  .u  the  Cam, 
diau  officers  imprisoned  at  Boston  for  taking  up  arm«iin  the 
roya.ist  •luse,  is  a  matter  of  history :  "What'  ynu  elect 
to  light,  in  order  to  maintain  your  subordiii'ition  as  colo- 
nists, instead  of  acre])tiiig  and  vindicating  luc  inu^pMi  Viice 
which  has  be?n  <.ffered  you!  Remain  then,  tvcr  the  slaves 
ye  now  are!  "  The  Briash  Ministry  proved  themselves  the 
better  diplorantists,and,  by  granting  privileges  to  the  French 
Catholic  element,  greatly  to  the  prejudice  of  the  EngKbh 
Prote!?tant  popu'.ation,  who  were  of  less  importance  to 
Great  Britain  in  point  of  numbers,  permanently  secured  to 
the  Ci  own  of  England  the  powerful  dominion  of  Canada. 


W 


fcre  anx* 


*Tlie  following,  from  the  "  Laws  nnd  Resolves  of  Mnssnchnsetts  Hay," 
is  oppropos  to  tlie  siibjcct.  Tlie  paper  bcirs  date  of  Dccenilier  12,  1(!05  ; 
ef:cr  a  preamble  sliowinR  tliat  the  law  was  intcuded  to  abate  a  "grievous 
inconvt-mence. "  and  as  a  measure  of  "public  safety,"  it  reads:  "J^e  it 
er.ac:ed  ....  That  from  and  after  the  second  day  f)f  .Tmmary  next  en- 
pV-ng,  none  of  the  French  nation  be  perniirted  to  reside  or  be  in  any  of 
the  seaport  or  frontier  to^\-ns  in  this  jjiovince,  but  such  as  shall  be  licensed 
by  ihe  Governor  and  Council;  nor  sh.idl  any  of  said  nation  keep  shop,  or 
cxc:rcise  any  manual  tra.le  iuany  of  the  towns  of  this  I'rovince,  without 
the  approbation  of  the  Selectmen,  on  pain  of  imprisonmoiit,  and  to  te- 
nwin  ill  prison  nntil  rele^ased  by  order  of  Governor  and  Council." 


hr  H. 


284 


ArAItlA 


Throughout  the  Cawadiau  l-iovinces,  as  in  the  revolted 
colonies,  sentiment  was  divided  as  regarded  allegiance  to 
Great  Britain.  The  young  colony  of  Massachusetts  emi- 
grants on  the  banks  of  the  St.  John  endorsed  the  action  of 
the  Whigs,  and  set  on  foot  a  campaign  and  siege  a;;:iinst 
their  English  neighbors  of  Fort  Cumberland,  who,  it  ap- 
pears, had  as  heartily  espoused  the  cause  of  George  tbe 
Third.  The  historian  Hatbeway  thus  describes  what  he  is 
pleased  to  term  the  "quixotic  "  campaign  against  Fort  Cum- 
berland:— 

""Without  artillery,  without  a  commissioned  officer  at 
then*  head,  or  an  ordinary  knowledge  of  s^ch  an  undertak- 
ing, they  commenced  their  march,  while  the  greater  part  of 
their  company  were  as  iguoiaut  of  the  nature  of  such  an 
undertaking  as  they  were  of  the  justice  of  it.  They  ut 
length  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  and  soon 
made  known  the  nature  of  their  visit  by  a  bold  demand  of 
an  immediate  surrender;  and  having  contrived  to  forward 
an  exaggerated  account  of  their  numerical  strength  and 
resources,  they  caused  the  garrison  to  close  their  gates  and 
prepare  for  the  siege  or  assault,  notwithstanding  the  elToc- 
tive  troops  of  the  fort  were  more  than  double  the  number 
of  the  besiegers.  Unfortunately  at  this  juncture  a  vessul 
Lad  arrived  off  the  fort,  loaded  with  provisions  for  the 
troops.  A  sergeant  with  a  few  men  had  gone  on  board  as 
u  guard  until  time  and  tide  should  favor  the  unloading. — 
Our  invading  heroes  now  conceived  the  bold  design  (since 
there  seemed  little  prospect  of  carrying  the  fort)  of  captur- 
•ng  this  vessel.  They  accordingly,  wheu  the  tide  had  run 
out  of  the  harbor  and  left  the  vessel  sitting  on  tlie  mud  flat, 
marched  alongs.de  of  her  in  a  dark  night,  ordered  a  ladder 
to  be  let  down  to  help  them  on  board,  threatening  to  buru 
Ihem  in  case  of  resistance.  This  order  was  obeyed  and 
they  took  their  prize  \vithout  opposition.  Had  one  shot 
beeu  iired,  the  iort  would  Lave  takeu  the  alai'iu  and  recap- 


EKGLISH  OCCUPATION 


285 


tared  ber  the  next  morning,  instead  of  having  the  chagrin 
to  see  her  saU  away  next  day  a  prize  to  the  foe,  without  a 
cruiser  on  the  coast  to  pursue  her.  Tiiia  vessel  was  tukeu 
to  Machias  and  sold  by  the  captors,  who  it  is  presumed  made 
a  fair  dividend  of  the  prize  money." 

The  same  authority  says:  "At  the  conclusion  of  the  peace 
of  1783,  there  was  a  great  influx  of  emigrants  to  this  Prov- 
iuce,  chiefly  of  the  American  Loyalists,  disbanded  soldiers  and 
ofiicers,  nearly  all  of  whom  drew  laud  from  the  government. 
Some  remained  and  occupied  their  lauds  during  the  two 
years  in  which  the  government  allowed  them  rations ;  otiiers 
left  and  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  some  continued 
permanent  and  useful  settlers.  This  gave  a  new  impulse  to 
the  infant  colony,  enhanced  the  value  of  property  of  all  de- 
scriptions, made  a  ready  and  sure  market  for  a  surplus  iirod- 
uce,  and  caused  money  to  circulate  and  capitalists  to  under- 
take business.  But  a  disbanded  soldiery  seldom  makes  the 
best  settlers.  Too  much  of  the  dissipated  customs  of  the 
army,  with  the  usual  attendant  intemperance,  proved  for  b 
time  a  great  drawback  and  hindrance  to  those  benetits  which 
might  otherwise  have  resulted  from  the  change." 

The  Province  of  New  Brunswick  had  been  erected,  and 
was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  one  ol 
the  petty  German  princes,  from  whom  England  had  en- 
gaged the  sixteen  thousand  Hessian  troops  which  she  em- 
ployed in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Three  thousand  per- 
sons from  Nantucket  arrived  at  the  River  St.  John  in  the 
spring  succeeding  the  declaration  of  peace.  Many  of  these 
were  men  who  served  in  the  ranks  of  the  Lo\alists  during 
the  war ;  twelve  hundred  more  from  the  same  piace  followed 
during  the  autumn  of  the  same  year.  The  sufferitigs  ct 
these  settlers  are  described  as  severe.  They  had  previous- 
ly enjoyed  all  the  comforts  which  a  country  subdued  and 
cultivated  by  the  endurance  and  industry  of  their  forefath. 
ers  afforded,  Xid  they  were  forced  to  encounter  all  the  hor- 


w 


Y^'i'i  i 


286 


ACAVTM 


rors  of  an  approaobing  winter,  without  houses  to  shelter 
tiiem,  amiJ  tlie  wilds  of  New  Brans>vick.  Their  suifeiiugs 
huve  been  JesciibeJ  in  a  paiuph-et  published  by  a  resident 
of  the  Province.  He  says  the  difficulties  to  which  the  liist 
eettlers  were  exposed,  for  a  long  time  continued  a.uost  in- 
surmountable.  On  their  arrival,  they  found  a  few  Iioveis 
where  St.  John  is  now  built,  the  adjacent  country  exhibit- 
ing a  most  desolate  aspect,  which  was  peculiarly  discouiag- 
ing  to  people  who  had  just  left  their  homes  in  the  beuuaful 
and  cultivated  parts  of  the  United  States.  The  country  all 
about  was  a  continued  wilderness,  uninliabited  and  untvod- 
den,  except  by  savages  and  wild  beasts  i  and  scarcely  had 
they  begun  to  construct  their  cabins,  when  they  were  sur- 
prised by  the  rigors  of  the  untried  climate,  their  habitations 
being  enveloped  in  snow  before  they  were  tenable.  The^ 
Climate  at  that  period,  from  some  cause,  was  far  more  se- 
vere than  at  present,  and  they  were  frequently  put  to  the 
greatest  straits  for  food  and  clothing  to  pi'cserva  their  ex- 
istence. A  few  roots  were  all  tliat  tender  mothers  could  at 
times  procure  to  allay  the  importunate  calls  of  their  children 
for  food.  Sir  Guy  Carleton  had  ordered  their  provisions  at 
the  expense  of  the  government,  for  the  first  year;  but,  as  the 
country  was  little  cultivated  at  that  time,  food  could  scarce- 
ly be  procured  on  any  terms.  Frequently  hnd  these  settlers 
to  go  t'roia  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  v.-ith  hand-sleds  or 
toboggans,  through  wild  woods  or  on  the  ice,  forced  to  sleep 
in  the  open  air,  and  make  their  way  on  snow-i-hoes,  to  pro- 
cure a  supply  for  tlieir  famishing  families.  The  privations 
and  suffeilngs  of  tliese  people  almost  exceeded  belief.  The 
want  of  food  and  clothing  in  a  wild  country  was  not  easily 
Buppiied.  Frequently  in  the  piercing  cold  of  winter,  some 
of  thft  family  were  obliged  to  remain  up  at  night  to  kee*)  fire 
in  their  huts  to  protect  the  others  from  freezing.  t,ome  of 
the  uioie  destitute  lauiiiies  made  use  of  boards  to  supply 
the  want  of  bedding.     Many  of  these  Loyalists  were  in  the 


SNOI-reH  OCCCPATIOS 


287 


prime  of  life  when  they  emigrated  into  the  country,  and 
luofifc  of  theiij  had  young  fauiiUes.  To  establish  these,  they 
w«re  out  their  lives  in  toil  and  poverty,  and  by  their  unre- 
milting  exertions  subdued  the  wikTeruess,  and  covered  the 
face  of  the  coantiy  with  habitations,  villages,  aud  towns. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  St.  John  after  the  close  of  the 
•war,  was  the  notorious  Benedict  Arnold  and  faniilv.  He 
eeeu.s  to  have  been  hat^d  even  in  St.  John;  aud  many  local 
instances  of  meanneFs  are  yet  told  of  him  while  a  resident 
there.  Arnold  engaged  in  tiade  and  navigation,  and  owi:e(l 
the  lirst  vessel  built  in  St.  John.  He  obtained  it  of  the 
builder,  who  was  unable  to  procure  the  necessary  sails  and 
rigging,  and  who  unfortunately  came  into  Arnold's  power, 
by  iraud.  He  lived  in  a  house  built  by  himself  at  the  cor- 
ner of  King  and  Canterbury  Streets;  his  store  was  in  an- 
otL(  1  quarter,  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Chai'iotte  Streets : 
he  dtait  in  ship-furnishing  goods. 

"When  Benedict  Arnold  returned  to  England  he  was  the 
father  ot  seven  children.  His  tirst  wife  bore  him  Benedict, 
Eichard  and  Eeuiy.  The  elder  was  an  officer  of  artillery 
in  British  service,  aud  died  yourg  while  stationed  in  tho 
"West  Indies.  The  children  by  his  second  marriage  were 
James,  Edward,  George  and  Sophia.  James  was  tbe  only 
one  born  in  the  United  States,  and  was  a  child  at  the  time 
of  Arnold's  trehsou ;  he  entered  the  British  army  and  rose 
to  t'ne  rank  of  Colonel  of  Engineers.  He  was  stationed  at 
Bermuda  for  awhile,  then  was  transferred  to  Haiiiax,  whera 
he  was  in  command  of  the  engineers  of  New  Brunswick 
and  Nova  Scotia.  During  this  period  he  visited  St.  Joun, 
and  on  going  into  the  house  built  by  his  lather  in  King 
Street,  wept  like  a  child.  He  married  a  Mies  Goodrich  of 
the  is.e  of  >Vight. 

Benedict  Arnolo  and  sister  Hannah  were  the  only  ones 
left  of  a  family  of  six  cui.di-eu  at  the  time  of  the  llevolution ; 
bufc  adhered  to  him  through  ali  his  giiiltj  career.     She  ig 


ml' 


288 


AOADTA 


f  ■, 

<l]l          Hi 

k.    : 

ijfl   :i  W 

1: 

■■^Wi 

J. 

said  to  have  possessed  excellent  qualities  of  character,  and 
died  at  Montague,  Province  of  Quebec,  in  1803.  Arnold 
died  in  London  in  1801  f  and  Margaret,  his  widow,  died  in 
the  same  city  three  years  afterwards,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
three. 

Miss  Margaret  Shippen,  afterward  Mrs,  Benedict  Arnold, 
it  will  be  recollected,  was  at  the  time  of  tbe  British  occupa- 
tion of  Philadelphia,  1877,  one  of  the  reigning  holies  of  that 
city,  and  a  groat  favorite  with  the  British  oflScers.  The 
young  and  brilliant  Major  Andre,  by  his  po  isbed  manners, 
aiid  superior  address,  had  attracted  her  admiration,  with 
whom  she  soon  came  to  be  on  intimate  terms.  After  the 
English  withdrew,  it  was  then  she  became  acquainted  with 
Benedict  Arnold,  with  whom  she  afterward  contracted  mar- 
riage. Van  Shaack,  a  New  York  Loyalist,  relates  being  at 
Westminster  Abbey  some  years  after  tbe  war.  While  there 
he  saw  Benedict  Arnold,  and  a  lady  with  him  he  supposed 
to  be  his  wife.  The  two  stood  before  the  cenotaph  of  An- 
dre, deliberately  perusing  the  monumental  inscription  of 
the  tale  of  his  own  infamy.  What  Arnold's  thoughts  were, 
when  his  act  of  treachery  came  up  before  hiin,  or  hers,  at 
this  reminder  of  the  untimely  end  of  her  former  lover,  can 
be  only  surmised.  Van  Shaack  relates  that  he  turned  from 
the  scene  in  disgust. 

The  town  of  Shelburne,  on  an  inlet  on  the  south  eastern 
coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  is  noticeable  to  the  student  of  Ameri- 
can history,  from  its  having  been  the  I'esidence  of  Beverly 
Robinson,  with  whom  Arnold  was  quartered  at  the  time  he 
was  negotiating  the  surrender  of  West  Point,  and  whose 
former  dwelling  vet  stands  among  the  mountains  of  Putnam 
County,  N.  Y.,  within  view  of  the  ruined  fovtificatioiis  of 
Fort  Putnam.  After  the  surrender  of  Cornwa.lis,  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  Lova'iists  from  New  York,  heads  of  fami- 
lies, assocJaied  thimselvts  for  the  piupose  of  emigrating  to 
Nova  Scotia.     Ihe  number  was  subisequently  increased  to 


.)  i 


ENGLISH  OCCUPATION 


289 


four  hundred  and  seventy-one  beads  of  families,  who  were 
divided  into  pixtecn  ocnpnnies  with  a  captain  and  two  lieu- 
tenants appointed  for  each.  The  several  companies  were 
each  provided  with  one  transport  for  its  conveyance,  two 
for  the  removal  of  its  heavy  baggage,  and  a  schooner  to  car- 
ry horses.  The  associates  were  furnished  with  forty  pieces 
of  cannon  and  a  proportionate  quantity  of  ammunition  and 
military  stores,  and  were  accompanied  by  a  commissary,  en- 
gineer and  a  number  of  carpent'.is,  who  were  supplied  with 
all  kinds  of  tools  and  implements  necessary  for  the  forma- 
tion of  a  settlement  upon  a  large  scale.  Previous  to  their 
de^;avtuie  a  Board  was  constituted,  of  which  Beverly  Kob- 
inson,  Esq.,  was  appointed  President,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
apportion  a  pecuniary  donation  of  Government  among  the 
must  meritorious  of  the  settlers. 

The  associates  and  their  families  sailed  from  New  York 
harbor  on  the  27th  of  April,  1783,  in  a  fleet  of  eighteen 
equal  e-rigged  vesse.s,  and  several  sloops  and  schooners, 
supported  by  two  ships  of  war.  Choosing  a  situation,  a 
town  was  laid  out,  consisting  of  five  parallel  streets,  sixty 
feet  wide,  intersected  by  others  at  right  angles.  Temporary 
huts  were  erected  for  the  families,  and  the  ground  cleared 
away  for  the  site  of  the  town.  The  Roseway  Iliver  swarmed 
witn  salmon  and  gaspereau,  and  the  harbor  was  filled  with 
cod,  halibut,  lobster  and  shell-fish.  In  J  uly  the  erection  of 
substantial  houses  was  commenced.  The  following  month 
Governor  Parr  visited  the  place  and  conferred  upon  it  a 
name  by  drinking  prosperity  to  the  tov/n  of  Slidbiirne.  A 
complete  inundation  of  fleeing  Loyalists  poured  into  the 
half-built  town  during  the  autumn,  and  the  limits  of  the 
growing  city  had  to  be  en'aigcd.  Within  a  year  the  popu- 
lation of  Sheiburne  reached  twelve  or  fouiteen  thousand. 
But  the  town  had  no  back  countrj^  to  supply  and  be  en- 
riched by ;  and  the  colonists,  mostly  of  the  wealthier  class 
from   the  cities,  would  not  engage  in  the  fisheries.     The 


ill    ^1 


I 


f 


4 

>    '   ■■■  ■ 

\m 

2W 


A.CADIA 


money  tliey  had  brought  from  their  old  homes  was  at  leugth 
exhausted,  auu  theu  Shelbarue  declined  with  a  rapidity  as 
remarkable  as  its  growth  had  been.  Many  of  the  people 
returned  to  the  United  States,  and  others  removed  to  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  Province:  the  population  soon  dwio.Wed 
to  four  hundi'ed  souls.  Within  two  years  over  $2,jOU,OUO 
were  sunk  in  the  founding  of  Shelburne.  It  was  recently 
described  as  the  site  of  a  fevv  huge  storehouses,  with  de- 
cayed timbers  and  crumbliug  window  frames,  standing  near 
the  v.harves,  with  piles  of  stone  and  grass  plats  marking 
where  the  streets  had  been. 

Notwithstanding  the  coldness  of  the  climate  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia, numbers  of  the  colored  race  have  emigrated  to  its  shores, 
the  dascer.dauts  of  whom  still  abide  on  its  soil.  Here  they 
retain,  with  a  iew  excejjtious,  the  proverbial  improvidence 
of  their  race.  Nearly  twelve  hundred  blacks  were  trans- 
ported from  this  Province  to  Sieira  Leone  in  1792,  by  sanc- 
tion of  the  British  government.  Shortly  after  their  remov- 
al, six  hundi'ed  Maroons,  from  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  were 
conveyed  to  Halifax,  with  the  view  of  making  them  perma- 
nent residents.  The  history  of  this  singular  people  is  so 
full  of  interest,  that  a  brief  sketch  of  them  cannot  be  out  of 
place  here. 

In  1655,  when  Jamaica  was  taken  from  the  Spaniards,  fif- 
teen hundred  of  their  enslaved  Africans  took  refuge  in  the 
mountains  of  the  island.  In  these  retreats  they,  for  upward 
of  forty  years,  mainly  subsisted  by  frequent  incursions  into 
the  settlements  of  the  English  in  the  lowlands.  Their  num- 
bers continued  to  swell  by  natural  increase,  and  by  rein- 
forcements of  fugitive  slaves ;  and  they  finally  became  so 
formidable,  under  an  able  leader  named  Cudjoe,  that,  in 
1738,  military  force  was  resorted  to  for  their  subjugation. 
A  pacification  was  fortunately  entered  into  with  them,  and 
thus  was  terminated  a  contest  which  seemed  to  portend  the 
ruin  of  the  whole  coIo:iy. 


EHQLISH  OCCUrATIOJT 


291 


H5 


In  17P5,  the  Maroons  again  appeared  in  arms,  ar.d  swooped 
down  from  their  mountain  fastnesses,  cfirrying  destruction 
and  alarm  all  over  the  island.  They  established  their  hcad- 
qaaiters  at  a  place  called  the  "  Cockpit,"  a  deep  valley  sur- 
rounded by  steep  precipices  and  mountains  o"  a  prodigious 
hxght,  in  the  caves  of  which  they  had  placed  their  woineu 
find  children,  and  deposited  their  ammunition.  From  this 
secure  retreat,  they  sent  out  small  parties  of  their  ablest 
young  men,  who  prowled  about  the  country,  gathering  up 
provisions,  and  applying  the  midnight  torch  to  unprotected 
Tiwellings,  and  murdering  in  cold  blood,  such  of  the  white 
1  eople  as  came  into  their  hands,  without  regard  to  age  or 
sex.  The  Earl  of  Beicarras  and  General  Walpole  proceed- 
ed against  them  with  a  body  of  troops,  but  so  great  were 
the  difficulties  encountered,  that  they  nearly  despaired  of 
subjugating  this  people.  The  Cockpit  could  be  reached  on- 
ly by  a  path  down  a  steep  rock,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  almost  perpendicular  descent.  This  obstacle  the  ^la- 
roons  surmouured  without  difficulty.  Habituated  to  era- 
ploy  their  naked  feet  with  singular  effect  in  climbing  up 
trees  and  precipices,  they  had  acquired  a  dexterity,  which, 
to  the  British  troops,  was  wholly  inimitable.  The  great 
lack  of  the  Maroons  in  this  impregnable  retreat,  was  a  full 
supply  of  water.  For  a  time  their  thirst  was  asbuaged  by  a 
substitute  for  natural  springs  furnished  by  a  species  of  pine 
growing  in  the  pit;  this  finally  fiviled  them,  but  it  is  not 
known  what  the  issue  might  have  been,  had  not  an  unusual 
tind  cruel  measure  been  resorted  to  by  way  of  enforcing  sub- 
jugation. 

The  British  Commissioners  who  went  to  Havanna  for  as- 
pistance,  arrived  at  Montf^go  Bay  with  forty  C/insseiirs,  or 
!ii:auish  hunters,  (chiefly  people  of  color,)  and  one  hundred 
cud  twenty  Spanish  dogs.  A  groat  proportion  of  these  au- 
imais  were  not  regularly  trained,  so  that  the  fugitives  whom 
they  overtook  had  no  chance  to  escape  being  torn  in  pieces 


l'\ 


ACADIA 


by  them.  These  Spanish  Chasseurs  had  bound  themselves 
"to  go  to  the  Island  of  Jamuica,  taking  each  three  do^s  for 
the  hunting  and  seizing  of  iiegroes;  that  when  arrived,  and 
hifoi  med  of  the  situation  of  the  runaway  or  rebellious  ne- 
groes, we  oblige  ourselves  to  practice  every  means  thui  may 
bfl  necessary  to  pursue,  and  to  apprehend  with  our  dugs, 
said  rebellious  nef;roe8."  Thus  the  authorities  may  be  said 
literally  to  have  let  loose  "the  dogs  of  war"  against  tlie  pio- 
scribed  Maroons. 

Tliis  harsh  measure  had  the  effect  of  bringinnf  about  a 
truce  :  terrified  and  humbled,  the  insurgents  sued  for  peace ; 
six  hundred  of  the  Trelawney  Maioous  were  put  on  board 
three  transports  at  Bluelields,  in  Jamaica,  and  in  six  weeks 
were  safely  landed  in  Halifax.  They  had  been  provided  with 
all  manner  of  necessities  and  acconmiodutions  at  sea,  and 
provisioi*  made  for  their  subsistence  after  reaching  iuiid: 
the  sum  of  £25,000  had  been  furnished  by  the  Jamaica  Leg- 
islature for  the  purpose. 

On  their  arrival  at  Halifax  Harbor,  his  Highness,  Prince 
Edward,  then  in  the  country,  was  greatly  anxious  to  see  a 
people  who  had  for  months  successfully  resisted  a  greatly 
superior  force  of  British  troops.  The  Prince,  on  going  on 
board  the  Dorer,  found  a  detachment  of  British  Kegulars 
drawn  up  on  the  quarter-deck,  theii'  arms  rested  and  music 
playing.  The  Maroon  men,  in  a  uniform  dress,  were  ar- 
ranged in  lines  on  each  side  the  whole  length  of  the  ship, 
and  the  women  and  children  forward,  dressed  clean  am* 
neat.  Accustomed  to  view  lines  of  men  with  a  very  dis- 
criminating eye,  the  just  proportions  of  their  limbs  did  not 
escape  the  notice  of  the  Prince. 

It  being  midsummer,  temporary  houses  were  erected, 
and  others  hired  for  them,  and  the  Governor  allotted  tha 
barns  of  his  farm  for  the  same  purpose.  They  were  em- 
ployed on  the  fortifications  of  Halifax  :  the  Maroon  Bastion 
wub  erecttid  and  designated  a  munumeut  of  their  active  iu- 


ENGLISH   OCCUPATION 


293 


dnstry.  In  a  •word,  this  di'eaJfui  bmitlitti  were  consiJeied 
ift  great  acquisition  to  tlie  country.  It  wild  not  long  before 
this  people  showed  signs  of  discontent;  those  who  were  in- 
strumental in  their  transportation  began  to  have  fears  they 
might  have  made  a  mistake;  in  1800  tliey  were  reumbarked 
at  Halifax,  and  sei:t  to  Sierra  Leone.  Tiius  ended  the  set- 
tlement of  Maroons  in  Nova  Scotia,  after  an  expenditure  of 
,  £40,000  on  the  part  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  and  a  very 
great  outlay  by  Great  Britain. 

At  the  conclui?ion  of  the  war  of  1812,  a  large  body  of  es- 
caped slaves  were  permitted  to  take  refuge  on  board  the 
Biitish  squadron,  blockading  the  Chesapeake  and  soutijera 
harbors,  and  were  afterwards  landed  at  Halifax.  They  liad 
imbibed  the  theory  that  liberty  consisted  in  total  exemption 
from  labor;  and  unaccustomed  to  provide  for  their  own 
wants,  they  eked  out  an  existence  by  cultivating  smail  gar- 
dens through  the  summer,  and  subsisting  on  rations  allowed 
them  by  government  during  the  winter.  In  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Halifax  are  settlements  composed  wholly  of  blacks, 
who  experience  during  the  rigorous  season  all  the  misery 
incident  to  improvidence.     The  following  is  a  pen  picture: 

"In  a  few  minutes  we  saw  a  big  house  perched  on  a  bone 
of  granite,  and  presently  another  cabin  came  in  view.  Then 
other  scare-crow  edifices  wheeled  in  sight  as  we  drove  along ; 
all  forlorn,  all  patched  with  mud,  all  perched  on  barren 
knolls,  high  up,  like  ragged  redoubts  of  jjoverty,  armed  at 
every  window  with  a  formidable  artillery  of  old  hats,  rolls 
of  rags,  quilts,  carpets,  and  indescribable  bundles,  or  bar- 
ricaded with  boards  to  keep  out  the  sunshine.  The  people 
living  here  are  descendants  of  escaped  slaves  from  the  Uni- 
ted States.  They  are  a  miserable  lot;  they  won't  work, 
and  they  shiver  it  out  here  as  well  as  they  can.  But  in  the 
strawberry  season  they  make  a  little  money." 

In  1821,  ninety  of  these  [itople  were  cijnveyed  by  permis- 
sion of  government,  iu  chartered  vessels,  to  Trinidad. 


m 


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1 

;  1 

4 

i 

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■/H 

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294 


AOADM 


The  traveler  of  the  present  day,  seateil  in  on©  of  the  corn- 
fortable  coaches  of  the  Inter-colonial  Railway  en  route  for 
Halifax,  on  leaving  Valley  Station  in  the  city  of  iSt.  John, 
and  passing  rapidly  out  through  Ma'  sh  Valley,  will  soon 
Bee  the  bioad  watei's  of  Kennebecasis  Bay  opening  on  the 
left.  The  ever-charging  and  picturesque  scenery  of  New 
Brunswick  engages  the  attention  of  the  tourist,  aud  he  speed- 
ily tinds  himself  amid  the  pleasant  rural  scenes  of  the  fa- 
mous farm-iands  of  Sussex  Vale.  This  tract  was  settled  by 
the  military  corps  of  New  Jersey  Loyalists,  [mostly  Ger- 
mans,] of  Revolutionary  fame ;  their  descendants  now  oc- 
cupy tne  dwellings  and  till  the  lanils  donated  to  their  fath- 
ers by  the  King  of  Great  Britain.  "Good  reads,  excellent 
crops,  comfortable  houses,  commouious  churches,  weil- 
taught  schools,  an  intelligent  and  industrious  people,  all  in 
the  midst  of  scenery  beautifully  varied  with  hill  and  valley, 
mountain  and  meadow,  forest  and  flood,"  are  among  the 
characteristics  ascribed  to  Sussex  Vale. 

A  ride  of  two  hours  more  brings  the  traveler  into  the  val- 
ley of  the  Petitcodiac  River:  the  quaint  houses  and  barns 
betoken  the  inhabitants  to  be  of  German  origin ;  history  as- 
serts their  ancestors  were  German  Loyalists  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  pretty  village  of  lloncton  is  at  the  head  of  nav- 
igation on  the  Petitcodiac,  and  its  name  perpetuates  the 
memory  of  one  of  the  early  conquerors  of  the  country.  The 
visitor  must  not  omit  to  stop  here,  to  see  the  great  "bore," 
or  tide-wave,  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  At  the  beginning  of 
flood-tide  a  wall  of  water,  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  sweeps 
up  the  river,  and  in  the  space  of  six  hours  the  stream  rises 
over  seventy  feet. 

The  Halifax  train  runs  out  to  the  northeast  from  Monc- 
ton,  but  after  a  stretch  of  a  few  miles,  deflects  to  the  Houth- 
eust  into  the  Menivamcook  Valley.  Here  the  tourist  finds 
himself  in  the  midst  of  rural  farm  scenes,  peopled  with  a 
peasantry   having  the  unmistakable  impress  of  a  French 


ENGI.rSH  OCOUrATION 


295 


Catholic  origin;  he  is  told  these  avo  the  desceiulaiits  of  the 
Acadian  Xeutials,  bearing  tho  family  nainos  of  LoUluiic, 
Melaucjou,  and  others  equally  historic. — A  walk  of  a  fow 
minutes  in  the  leading  streets  of  i^oston  or  Now  Yorlc  will 
reveal  palaces  of  olive-colored  sandstoup,  qiarried  from 
among  the  fii'-clad  mountains  bordering  the  ilemramcook 
River, 

At  Saekville  the  train  crosses  the  Tantramar  River — a 
nnmv) corrupted  from  a  French  word  signifying  "a  thunder- 
in,!^  noise,"  and  suggested  by  the  noise  and  fury  of  the  rush- 
in^r  tide ;  thencfe  the  course  is  laid  out  on  the  wide  Tautra- 
ni:»r  Marsh,  the  dread  of  winter  travelers  and  tho  bauo  of 
lailway  managers,  whose  trains  are  often  blockaded  on  these 
plains  during  the  snow-stnruis  of  winter.  To  the  north- 
east is  Cape  Tormentine,  "the  great  headland  which  forms 
the  eastern  extreinirj*  of  New  Brunswick  within  the  Galf," 
a  name  likewise  suggested  by  the  fury  of  the  relentless  sea. 
It  is  from  a  point  on  this  Cape  thai  the  winter  inail-sarvice 
is  conducted  between  New  Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward 
Island;  where  the  njails,  passengers  and  baggage  are  sub- 
jected to  an  exciting  and  perilous  transit  in  ice-boats  across 
the  Northumberland  Strait. 

Thcae  pretty  hamlets,  nestled  in  the  picturesque  valley8» 
now  the  abode  of  a  contented  and  well-to-do  people,  sur- 
rounded with  quiet,  pastoral  scenes,  are  in  strong  contrast 
with  the  deeds  enacted  there  little  more  than  a  century  ago, 
when  the  French  Neutrals  were  hunted  like  wild  beasts 
among  these  mountains,  when  the  midnight  sky  was  illu- 
mined by  the  flames  of  their  burning  dwellings,  and  neither 
age,  sex,  nor  infirmity  served  to  move  the  heart  of  the  con- 
queror in  compassion. 

The  tract  of  country  comprised  in  the  townships  of  Tru- 
ro, Onslow,  Londonderry,  and  Economy,  is  unsurpassed  by 
any  in  the  Province  for  richness  of  soii.  The  bay,  washing 
its  shores  for  upwards  of  sixty  miles,  is  easily  navigated.^ 


u 


M 

^'■i  ,!i- 


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I 


296 


ArADM 


!■:  I 


i:  m 


i   il  mt) 


On  the  opposito  sido  of  \ho  Rasin  ia  t'lo  inrTfinturo  madfl  by 
the  Sluibi-nar-ailic,  with  its  fit'ty-fiTt  flood-tide,  itscmrenb  of 
eight  miles  an  hour  and  it» banks  containing  iiiexhaii8ti- 
ble  tn^asures  of  gypsum,  limestone,  and  freestone. 

The  first  settlora  of  Truro,  under  British  doniination, 
were  from  New  liainpshiro,  from  a  stock  origiiiiilly  haiiiny 
from  Ireland.  They  comprised  part  of  a  vohiiiteor  force 
sent  out  hy  that  colony ;  having  seen  the  country,  thej'  were 
80  well  p'.cased  that  they  returned  with  their  familips  and 
settled  as  soon  as  they  were  disl;anded.  At  first  they  lived 
under  great  terror  of  the  Indians,  and  a  stockaded  fort  was 
their  rtsort  at  night  for  a  long  time.  When  tl>ey  first  oainn, 
they  found  two  barns  to  be  the  only  French  buildings  re- 
maining: this  circumstance  was  the  occasion  of  a  part  of 
the  township  being  called  "Old  Barns,"  or  "Barn  Village." 
Remnants  of  FrencL  orchards  are  still  to  ha  found  iu  the 
neighborhood. 

Tliis  part  of  the  Province  attracted  the  early  French  set- 
tiers  in  large  numbers.  Some  idea  of  the  former  pojiula- 
tion  of  Londonderry  may  be  formed  by  the  size  of  the  Cath- 
olic chapel,  which  was  one  hundred  feet  long  and  forty  feet 
wide.  This  spacious  building,  together  with  the  dwelling 
houses,  was  destroyed  by  the  Pi'ovincial  troops  on  the  dis- 
persion of  the  Acadians  in  17.55. 

The  rich  dike  land  bordering  the  Rirer  Mieseguash,  and 
the  border  line  between  the  Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
New  Brunswick,  is  occupied  by  the  descendants  of  the  Aca- 
dians.  New  England  emigvauts,  and  the  posterity  of  a  few 
families  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  Here  stood  the  two 
rival  forts  of  Beausejour  and  Lawrence,  separated  by  the 
little  stream.  Many  traditional  anecdotes  of  the  siege  of 
the  former  fort  have  been  handed  down  to  the  present  gen- 
eration. It  is  said  that  while  preparations  weie  making  for 
the  attack,  ^Jarties  of  the  Frencu  and  Engiisii  would  meet  at 
the  river  and  indLil.',e  iu  some  good-natured  banter  as  to  the 


SAMBRO  LIGHT— Entrance  to  HiUifftx  Hiirbor. 


ij 


'I  ■  M 


I    'I 


i7i 


II- 


ENGLISH   OCCUPATION 


297 


probable  result  of  the  conflict,  each  being  aMkc  confident  of 
success;  they  made  excliange  of  bu.lets,  and  exacted  prom- 
ises of  their  faithful  return  from  the  mouths  of  their  mus- 
kets. The  deseendants  of  those  engaged  in  that  metaoia- 
ble  siege  now  dwell  side  by  side  in  perfect  amity,  under  the 
prorection  of  the  same  government. 

Not  far  away  is  the  town  of  Minudie,  settled  by  A^-adi- 
ans,  the  greater  part  of  whom  escaped  the  hands  of  Capt. 
Murray  at  Windsor  at  the  forced  French  extirpation,  and 
found  means  to  remove  thit)ier.  Here  they  found  the  wives 
and  children  of  many  of  thfir  fellow  countrymen,  deprived 
of  their  natural  protectors  by  the  ruthless  decree  of  a  rival 
military  power,  and  destitute  of  food,  clothing  and  shelter. 
This  little  community  preserve  a  remarkable  attachment  to 
their  language,  customs  and  religion ;  the  dike  land  around 
which  they  are  settled  contains  three  thousand  rich  alluvial 
acres,  the  houses  being  scattered  along  its  outer  margin  lor 
fifteen  miles.  Great  quantities  of  shad  are  taken  hei  e,  in 
weirs  erected  upon  the  lints,  which  are  exposed  at  low  wa- 
ter, not  only  su^jplying  tlie  wants  of  the  inhabitants,  but 
furnishing  an  article  of  export.  At  a  place  called  the  South 
Joggin,  in  this  neighborhood,  are  situated  extensive  and  val- 
uable quarries  oi"  giindstoue.*  From  the  bleak  and  north- 
west exposure  of  these  settlements,  they  ai'e  at  the  mei  cy  oi 
the  winters'  storms. 

On  th  3  summit  of  the  Cobequid  Mountains,  between  the 
Cumbei'land  and  Minas  Basin?,  surrounded  by  an  exte;jsive 
tract  of  woodland,  on  the  post-road  between  Halifax  and 


"To  avoid  remo\'inp!  the  superincumbent  earth,  the  stones  are 
dug  tis  ueai'.y  as  possible  nt  low  wftter-irmrk,  wlieve  Iho  tides  Lave  left 
them  exposeu  to  view.  But  as  the  combined  action  of  the  sea  and  frost 
natuiiilly  affects  the  uppt'i-  strata,  the  best  kind  lias  to  h-  B)uqht  for  be- 
low the  6urf'i.ce.  In  cuttiiiL;  the  stones  the  workmen  freiiuemly  meet 
rounded  nodules  called  "bull's  eyes,"  a  defect  which  renders  them  uuHt 
for  use. 


m 


:   -■'" 

i    ' 

\n 


■Jl-        * 


-'■  !' 


208 


A^CADIA 


Canada,  is  tbe  settlement  of  Westchester,  peopled  by  a  col- 
ony of  Lciyu'ists  fiora  Westcheste;-,  Xuw  York.  It  is  said 
tbey  were  attracLed  thither  by  the  similarity  of  the  country 
to  that  from  which  they  emigrated.  This  selection  was  iu- 
judicious:  from  the  exposed  situation  of  the  top  of  the  Go- 
bequid  Mountains,  they  are  enveloped  in  immense  fails  of 
snow  in  wiuter,  and  inconvenienced  by  heavy  falls  of  rain 
in  summer. 

A  graut  of  six  thousand  acres  on  the  southern  coast  of 
the  Gut  of  Caiiso,  was  made  about  the  year  1786  to  a  com- 
pany of  fifty  Loyalists,  who  had  joined  the  British  troops 
at  St.  Augustine,  and  embaiked  with  them  for  this  Prov- 
incij.  They  were  lauded  at  the  Gut  late  in  the  autumn,  and 
suffered  terribly  from  the  unexpected  severity  of  the  win- 
tei".  The  diffeienca  between  raising  indigo  and  tobacco  on 
the  natural  savannahs  of  l<'loriua,  and  raising  potatoes  on 
8oii  fiom  which  they  had  first  to  remove  the  Isova  Scotian 
forest,  was  so  great  as  to  discourage  them ;  the  adjoinitig 
fisheries  promising  a  less  laborious  means  of  support,  they 
were  induced  to  embark  to  a  great  extent  in  maritime  pur- 
suits. 

Windsor,  on  the  river  Avon,*  is  a  place  of  interest  from 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  principal  port  from  which  gypsum  is 
shipped,  a  fertilizer  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  farmers  of 


•The  tourist  who  passes  from  Grand  Pre  to  Windsor  during  the  'lours 
of  low  tide,  wiil  sympathize  with  the  traveler  who  says,  "the  Avon  v.ould 
have  been  a  charming  river  if  there  had  been  a  drop  of  water  in  ir.  I 
never  knew  before  how  much  water  nilds  to  a  river.  1  think  it  would  be 
couf  asinp;  to  dwell  by  a  river  that  rims  first  one  way  auJ  then  the  other, 
and  then  vanishes  altogether. "  Another  description  runs  thus :  ' '  The 
tide  was  out,  leaving  the  red  river-bottom  entirely  bare.  After  an  ab- 
sence of  an  hour  or  more,  I  loitered  back,  when  to  my  surprise  there  was 
a  river  like  the  Hudson  at  Oatskill,  ruuniuj;  up  with  a  powerful  current. 
The  high  wharf,  upon  which  but  n  short  time  before  1  had  stood  and 
surveyed  the  unsightly  fields  of  mu.l,  waa  now  up  to  iU  middle  in  the 
deep  and  vvhirlins  stream. " 


ENGMSH  OCCTTI'ATTOS 


299 


the  United  States.  TUis  fossil  crops  out  above  the  soil  in 
many  places  iti  "WinLlsor;  on  the  northern  side  of  the  St. 
Croix  it  rises  into  a  high,  mural  precipice  for  several  miles. 
It  is  accompanied  and  somerinips  intermingled  with  lime- 
stone, for  which  it  has  a  strong  affiaity,  the  one  being  a  car- 
boiiaie  and  the  other  a  sulphate  of  lime.  The  ground  in 
which  it  occurs  is  often  much  broken,  abounding  in  circular 
cavities  known  in  local  parlaiice  as  "kettle  holes,"  in  which 
there  have  sometimes  been  found  the  bones  of  afiimals  and 
the  skeletons  of  Indians  who  had  fallen  into  these  caverns 
and  could  not  extricate  themselves.  Gvpsum  is  seldom 
found  in  an  unbroken  strata;  large  veins  of  loam  are  scat- 
tered thi'ough  the  rocks,  also  red  and  blue  clay  with  layers 
of  lime.  It  is  quarried  by  the  aid  of  gunpowder,  and  brok- 
en into  suitable  sizes  for  exportation  l>y  the  pick-axe. 

The  township  of  Cornwaliis  was  settled  by  emigrants  from 
Connecticut,  who  arrived  in  June,  1760,  and  took  possession 
of  the  lands  formerly  owned  by  the  i'rench  Neutrals.  They 
met  with  a  few  straggling  families  of  these  pa  jple,  who  had 
escaped  from  the  soldiers  at  the  tira^  of  the  forced  removal 
of  their  countrymen,  and  who,  afraid  of  sharing  the  same 
fate,  had  not  ventured  to  till  the  land,  or  to  appear  in  the 
open  country.  The  cleared  lands  everywhere  skirted  the 
meadows,  and  on  all  of  them  were  found  the  ruins  of  the 
houses  that  had  been  burned  by  the  Proviucials  under  Col. 
Winslow  five  years  before.  Tii'sre  were  likewise  small  gar- 
dens encircled  by  cherry  trees  and  currant  bushes,  and  sinall 
orchard:  or  I'ather  dumps  of  apple  trees.  Groups  of  wil- 
lows, ''tuose  never-failing  appendages  of  an  Acadian  settle- 
ment," b  )re  silent  testiiaony  of  an  exiled  race. 

As  the  ludiiujs  were  both  numerouis  and  unfriendly,  and 
Boine  feaib  entertained  that  the  lew  remaining  French  would 
mo.e.st  the  new  occupants  of  the  confiscated  farms,  stock- 
aded houses  were  erected  for  the  general  defense. 

The  township  of  Lunenburg  was  peopled  by  emigrants 


-H^ 


■i.i 


Mv 


wM 


'4 

i 


'I 


300 


ACADIA 


i\  m 


from  Germany,  and  is  the  oldest  sett'.ement,  next  to  Hali- 
fax, formeil  under  Enpflish  patronage.  In  17o0,  the  Lords 
of  Trade  of  Great  Britain  caused  a  proclamation  to  be  post- 
ed up  in  the  several  populous  towns  of  Germany,  offering 
inducements  to  settle  in  Nova  Scotia.  That  year  one  lum- 
dred  and  fifty  Germans  and  Swiss  were  induced  to  sell  their 
effects  and  eiubark  for  Halifax.  The  rocky  coast,  the  inter- 
niinable  forest,  and  the  steriiity  of  the  soil,  impressed  the 
adventurers  unfavorably.  By  the  year  1753,  the  number 
had  been  increased  to  upwards  of  sixteen  hundred  persons, 
when  a  new  se.tleiuent  was  determined  on,  in  a  valley  be- 
tween two  round,  green  hills,  at  the  head  of  a  beautiful  bay, 
to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Lunenburg.  As  the  In- 
dians were  very  numerous,  and  exceedingly  hostile,  mur- 
dering every  man  who  ventured  aione  into  tire  woods,  nine 
block-houses  were  built,  and  the  settlement  enclosed  with  a 
fence  of  palisades,  or  timbers  sharpened  at  the  points,  and 
firmly  set  in  the  ground. 

"While  the  hardships  ar.d  dangers  incident  to  their  situa- 
tion had  discouraged  the  settlers  and  soured  their  tempers, 
a  report  was  industriously  circulated  among  them  that  they 
had  been  defrauded  of  a  large  part  of  the  provisions  and 
Btores  destined  for  their  use,  through  the  dishonesty  of 
some  of  the  cflficials.  As  they  had  all  been  supplied  with 
fire-arms,  they  resolved  to  redress  their  own  grievances ;  the 
civil  authority  was  quickly  overpowered,  and  nearly  the 
^vhole  of  the  settlers  were  in  a  state  of  open  rebellion.  A 
B'aong  military  force  was  sent  from  Halifax  to  quell  the  in- 
sabordination.  Two  of  the  ring-leaders  having  been  shot, 
the  insurgents  submitted ;  four  hundred  and  fifty  fire-loiiks 
were  surrendered  and  deposited  in  the  King's  stores,  and 
the  people  returned  to  their  respective  employments.  In 
1754  supplies  of  cattle  were  received  from  the  agents  of  the 
government,  and  the  following  year  this  stock  was  augment- 
ed by  some  of  the  confiscated  property  of  the  Acadiaus. 


ENGLISH   OrCUPATION 


301 


After  the  expulsion  of  the  latter  from  the  territory,  a  paity 
of  men  marched  through  the  woods  from  Lunenburg  to  the 
iBasin  of  Miuas,  and  collected  and  drove  off  upwards  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  head  of  horned  cattle,  and  a  number 
of  horses.  After  infinite  labor  they  only  succeeded  in  con- 
ducting to  Lunenburg  sixty  oxea  and  cows,  but  the  rest  of 
the  cattle  and  all  the  horses  died  during  the  journey  of  fa- 
tigue and  hunger.  The  inhabitants  had  been  supplied  with 
provisions  at  the  public  expense  until  June  17^4,  when  the 
allowance  was  withheld,  excejjt  from  the  aged  and  infirm. 
In  consequence  oi  the  depredations  of  the  savages,  Gover- 
nor Lawrence  offered  a  reward,  by  proclamation,  of  £30  for 
■eveiy  ma"je  Indian  prisoner  and  £25  for  his  scalp,  with  a 
proi;ortionate  i-eward  for  each  woman  and  child,  or  scalp. 
The  premiums  were  wholly  unattainable  by  these  foreign- 
ers, who  were  ignorant  of  the  surrounding  woods,  and  who, 
if  they  chanced  to  discover  Indian  traces,  too  often  found, 
to  their  cost,  that  these  tracks  were  made  to  lead  them  in- 
to ambush.  This  state  of  warfare  continued  to  the  peace 
of  1760,  over  a  term  of  seven  years,  during  which  there  was 
an  increase  in  the  population  of  only  seven  souls.  From 
that  time  until  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  Lu- 
nenbuip' steadily  advanced  in  wealth  and  population;  but 
during  that  war  it  met  with  repeated  reverses,  by  the  cap- 
ture of  its  vessels  and  the  plunder  of  the  settlement.  In  Ju- 
ly, 1782,  six  sail  of  American  privateers  arrived  at  Lunen- 
burg, under  command  of  Capt,  Stoddard,  and  ninety  men 
weie  landed  and  the  p.ace  surprised.  Having  taken  a  block- 
Louse  defended  by  Colonel  Creighton  with  a  loss  of  three 
men  killed,  the  assailants  plundered  the  town,  burned  sev- 
eral houses,  and  carried  away  or  destroyed  property  to  the 
value  of  £12,000.  Upon  threatening  to  burn  the  town,  the 
inhabitants  executed  a  bond  for  its  ransom  in  the  sum  of 
£1,000.  During  the  continuance  of  the  war  thuy  were  in 
constant  cuead  of  a  similar  visit. 


ill 


"  ■^;ii 


•i 

I 
it. 


i: 


302 


ACiDlM 


With  the  war  of  1812,  An.er.can  privateers  were  ugain  on 

the  coast.  Tbe  former  woodeu  fortifications  of  Lunenburg 
having  been  suflfered  to  decay,  four  new  block-bouses  were 
erected.  In  June,  1813,  two  men-of-war  were  seen  chasing 
an  armed  schooner  into  Mahone  Bay.  The  alarm  guns  in 
the  block-houpes  and  outposta  were  immediateiv  fired,  and 
the  militia  of  the  country  hastily  assembled  at  the  sum- 
mons. The  movements  of  the  vessels  were  carefully  ob- 
served until  sundown,  when  they  came  to  anchor.  Boat© 
were  then  hoisted  out  of  the  ships  and  manned,  and  sent 
in  pursuit  of  tiie  schooner,  but  before  they  reached  her  a. 
dreadful  explosion  took  place,  and  an  immense  cloud  of 
smoke  was  teen  issuing  from  Ler  ruins.  Darkness  now 
came  on,  and  tbe  people  of  Lunenburg  lay  upon  their  arms 
all  night,  not  knowing  whether  a  iriendly  or  a  hostile  force 
was  in  the  harbor.  Tbe  next  day  a  boat  aviived  with  six 
American  prisoners,  all  dreadfully  mutilated,  most  .2  wLom 
were  obliged  to  undergo  some  iujmediave  amputation.  The 
two  ships  of  war  weie  under  Enylisli colors,  and  had  chased 
the  American  privateer.  Teaser,  into  the  Bay.  One  of  the 
olncers  of  the  privateer,  who  was  an  English  deserter,  know- 
ing the  fate  that  awaited  him  if  captured,  ard  failing  to  in- 
spjre  the  crew  with  his  own  feeling  of  desperate  resistance, 
deliberately  set  fire  to  the  magazine,  killing  ninety-four  of 
the  one  hundred  men  on  board  of  her,  including  himself. 

Students  of  American  history  will  recollect  the  celebrated 
cavalry  of  Tarieton,  the  hero  of  Waxhaw,  North  Carolina, 
in  the  Kevoiution.  This  arm  of  tbe  British  service,  known 
throughout  the  South  as  Tavleton's  Legion,  at  the  close  of 
tlie  war  weie  petsioned  for  their  services  with  a  grant  of 
land  in  Nova  Sc^l  ia  by  King  George  III.  They  selected  a 
site  a  the  head  of  Mouton  Harbor,  on  the  southern  coast 
of  the  Province  at  its  western  extremity,  and  began  the 
foundation  of  a  town  which  t.ey  ( ailed  Guysboro,  after  the 
Chr  stiau  name  of  the  Governor  of  Canada,  Sir  Gay  Carle- 


ENGLian  OCCUPATION 


303 


I 


ton.  They  soon  perceived  they  bail  selected  injudiciously, 
tbfc  soil  beiijg  stony  and  barren,  with  little  in  favor  of  the 
location  except  a  good  harbor.  They  hud  erected  a  few 
houses,  still  they  determined  on  abandonirjg  the  place; 
while  making  preparations  for  removing  tneir  effects,  a  fire 
broke  out,  consuiuing  the  town  to  ashes;  the  measure  of 
their  calamities  was  tilled  up  by  the  total  loss  of  their  live- 
stock, furniture  and  wearing  apparel.  A  more  complete  de- 
struction than  that  which  overtook  the  veterans  of  Waxhuw 
cannot  well  be  imagined;  and  had  not  a  King's  ship  been 
dispatched  from  Halifax  with  provisions  for  their  re.ief, 
they  must  inevitably  have  perished  from  famine.  Most  of 
these  sufferers  by  the  conflagration  removed  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Province,  where  they  founded  another  settle- 
ment, naming  that  likewise,  Guysboro. 

The  township  of  Yarmouth,  at  the  western  extremity  of 
Nova  Scotia,  contains  no  less  than  eighty  lakes :  to  a  bird 
<lying  overhead  it  must  seem  like  a  patch-work  of  blue  and 
green,  in  which  th3  blue  predominaces.  They  are  nearly  all 
connected  with  the  Tusket  River,  and  are  generally  small, 
irregular  in  shape,  and  surrounded  with  stunted  timber.  In 
the  picturesque  Argyle  Bay  adjoining  avo  the  beautiful 
groups  of  Tusket  Isles;  "Like  most  other  collections  of 
islands  on  this  continent,  they  are  popularly  supposed  to  be 
365  in  number,  though  they  do  not  claim  to  possess  an  in- 
tercalary islet  like  that  on  Lake  George  [New  York],  which 
appears  only  every  fourth  year."  The  Tuskets  vary  in  size 
from  Morris  Island,  three  miles  in  length,  to  the  smallest 
tutt-erowned  rock,  resembling  a  little  basket  of  evergreens, 
floating  on  the  water.  The  scenery  of  Argyle  Bay  is  ex- 
tremely beautiful  of  its  kind : — cottages  embowered  in  the 
forests  of  lir  and  spruce,  and  the  masts  of  small  fishing  ves- 
sels peeping  up  from  every  little  cove,  with  innumerable 
islands  and  peninsulas  enclosing  the  blue  sea  in  every  di- 
rection; whiie  beyond,   amid  the  scenery  of  the  Tusket 


i|i 


m\ 


:  t  V, 


V    ' 

,  ^  ^ 

Ji  ;.5f 

iu 

304 


ACADU 


Lakes,  are  the  Blue  Mountains,  the  paradise  of  the  moose 
and  trout. 

Among  these  narrow  pa8?es,  hundreds  of  Acadians  took 
refuge  during  the  persecutions  of  1755-60^  and  sever- 
al settlements  were  formed  by  them  here.  The  remains  of 
a  flourishing  one  existed  up  to  a  recent  period  at  the  head 
of  the  Chegoggin  Marsh,  and  the  apple  trees,,  stone  walls, 
and  cellars  on  Chebogue  River  are  said  to  be  relics  of  the 
eame  people.  But  even  the  solitude  and  seclusion  of  this 
spot  did  not  save  tbem  from  the  pursuit  of  their  enemies. 
A  British  frigate  was  sent  down  to  hunt  them  out-  A  small 
boat  was  dispatched  at  the  mouth  o^  the  Tusket  River,  and, 
guided  by  native  pilots,  ascended  the  stream  and  its  chain 
of  ^akes,  to  invest  this  asylum.  The  invaders  had  advanced 
io  within  a  mile  of  the  village^  and  were  arrived  at  a  nar- 
I  ow  place  where  the  river  is  conti'acted  to  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  in  width.  Here  the  pass  is  oveiavched  by  the  branch- 
es of  the  sombre  pine,  enveloping  the  stream  in  shade ;  un- 
der the  umbrageous  foliage,  an  ambuscade  had  been  formed 
by  the  fugitives,  and  the  unsuspecting  crew,  surprised  un- 
der the  veiy  muzzle  of  their  tsssilants'  guns,  received  a  fa- 
tal discharge  of  musketry  whicii  destroyed  the  entire  party. 
This  sanguiuai'y  triumph  only  servsd  to  render  the  fate  of 
the  Acadians  more  certain,  and  they  were  at  last  compelled 
to  fly.  Some  escaped  to  the  woods  and  affiliated  with  the 
Indians,  never  afterward  returning  to  the  haunts  or  habits 
of  the  white  man ;  but  the  greater  part  were  captured,  and 
transported  with  their  families  to  New  England.  After 
many  years  they  were  permitted  to  return,  and  the  Acadi- 
ans of  Clare,  Eel  Brook,  and  Pubnico  are  chiefly  the  descend- 
ants of  these  people. 

In  1761,  a  few  families  from  Massachusetts  were  attract- 
ed to  Nova  Scotia  by  the  rich  alluvial  of  Chebogue  Marsh. 
Bud  the  valuable  fisheries  adjacent.  The  greater  part  of 
them  settled  at  the  head  of  the  marsh,  on  the  site  of  a 


Wi 


TW 


ENGLISH   OCCUPATION 


305 


French  virage,  and  in  mor^t  instances  they  erected  thfir 
houses  on  tlie  cellars  which  had  been  dug  by  their  prede- 
cessors. Havinj?  carried  thetn  to  a  state  of  completion  af- 
fording a  tolerable  shelter,  tlie  new  settlers  essayed  the  seri- 
ous task  of  passing  their  first  winter  in  the  dreai  y  and  lone- 
ly spot  of  which  they  had  taken  possession.  They  had 
brought  with  t'lem  two  horses,  six  oxen,  and  a  number  of 
cows  and  ca.ves;  the  horses  they  immediately  sent  back  as 
useless  incumbrances.  Over  half  the  rattie  died  of  hunger 
and  exposure,  and  the  rest  were  killed  for  food.  The  win- 
ter was  terrible  in  its  severity ;  snow  lay  on  the  ground  four 
mouths  to  a  depth  of  four  feet.  An  accident  having  befall- 
en the  vessel  on  which  they  were  totally  dependant  for  sup- 
plies, they  were  reduced  to  the  most,  pitiable  condition  for 
want  of  provisions.  For  a  long  time  they  were  without 
bread,  potatoes,  or  any  substitute;  a  lew  actually  perished 
from  want  of  suitable  hutrimeiit.  Six  families,  tenihed  and 
disheartened,  returned  home  by  the  Uraz  opoortunity;  the 
remainder,  being  joined  by  other  emigrants  from  the  fish- 
ing towns  of  New  England,  effected  a  permanent  settle- 
ment. 


i  •!■' 
i  !| 


m 


THE  ISLAND  OF  CAPE  BRETON. 

The  Island  of  Cape  Breton,  formerly  denominated  by  its 
French  jnasters,  L'Isle  Royal,  has  been  teimed  the  key  to 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  from  the  fact  that  it  commands 
all  access  from  the  Atlantic,  except  by  the  circuitous  route 
of  the  straits  of  Bellisle,  round  the  northern  extremity  of 
.Newfoundland.  Nearly  one  third  of  j;he  superficial  area  of 
the  island  is  coveted  with  water,  being  divided  into  two  nat- 
ural though  continuous  diViSi'_ms  by  the  Great  and  Little 
Bras  d'Or  Channels,  and  the  inland  sea  known  as  Bras  d'Or 
Lake.  The  land  is  well  adapted  to  cultivation,  and  the  tim- 
ber is   of  good  size  except  near  the  margin  of  the  cliffs, 


it 


^■:\\ 


4: 


i 


306 


AOADU 


where  is  usually  a  gr(>v\tb  of  spruce  and  other  evergreens, 
all  int'iiiiin;;  iaudwMids  Iruzu  the  fury  of  the  At^ antic  stonnH. 
The  beauty  of  the  bays,  the  densely  wooded  shores,  the  rich 
veins  of  coal,  liujestoue,  and  gypsum  croppiug  oat  uion^^' 
the  coast  of  thesti  in.aud  waters,  gives  them  u  just  title  ty 
the  ''Arm  of  Gold."  It  is  said  that  in  some  localitiss  gyp- 
sinu  may  be  quarried  from  the  c.iffs,  broken  up  and  thrown 
directly  on  the  vessel  moored  at  tlje  base;  and  in  others, 
as  Nrrth  Sydney,  coal  is  delivered  from  the  mines  by  let- 
tin;?  it  fall  dir(  ctiy  from  the  rail  cars  into  the  vessel's  hol.l. 

C;)'.amunicatiou  between  the  different  towns  is  ea;=il/ 
carried  on  by  sailing  vessels,  no  part  of  the  island  beiiig 
more  than  ten  miles  from  ijavigation,  yet  coiitainiug  about 
the  same  aieaas  New  Hampshire. 

Thu  Gut  of  Canso,*  the  thoroughfare  of  all  the  trade  to 
and  from  the  Galf  of  St.  Lawrence,  se^^javatiug  the  Island  of 
Cape  Breton  from  the  j)eninsula  of  Nova  Scotia,  is  about 
fifteen  miles  long,  and  one  inilo  wide.  The  scenery  of  this 
stiuiu  is  spoken  of  by  travelers  as  sui passing  anything  else 
of  the  kind  in  America,  and  it  has  be?ii  poetically  styled  the 
"Golden  Gate  of  the  St.  La.vrence  Gulf."  There  is  a  very 
strong  current  here.  The  tide  seldom  runs  at  a  less  rate 
than  from  four  to  five  miles  an  hour,  but  no  tabulated  cal- 
endar of  the  Canso  tides  can  be  made  on  account  of  the  great 
influence  of  winds  upon  them.  It  is  not  unusual  for  the 
stream  of  the  strait  to  run  one  way  for  several  days  in  suc- 
cession. A  southerly  gale,  by  accelerating  the  ebb  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  causes  the  water  to  flow  through  towards  the 
Gull ;  while  a  northwest  wind  will  force  a  current  into  the 
Atlantic  until  the  level  of  the  water  is  I'estored. 

Cape  Uretou  was  settled  by  Scotch  and  Irish  emigrants* 
French  Acadians,  and  a  number  of  Loyalists  from  the  Unit- 


•i'l'om  the  Simnish  word  Gauso,  sifjuifying  a  goose,  a  name  given  to 
it  on  accomit  o£  the  immense  mmibers  of  geese  formerly  found  there. 


BNGT.IPH  OOCrPATTON 


307 


«»fl  Sfates.  Over  tweiity-fivo  tlioufiand  Scotch  emif»rnnt8 
luive  Hcttled  ou  tins  islni'd,  and  it  will  ]irol).'ibly  evor  be  a 
Sicttish  land.  After  the  di^pfi'sion  of  the  Hifjhland  c'ins 
and  the  tinal  paciiication  of  Northern  ScDt^and,  the  cliief- 
taiiJS  and  nobles  foni  d  it  more  protitablo  to  devote  their  es- 
tates to  cattle-raising,  than  to  maintain  tie  old  tenantry 
Bystem.  So  th')i;8ands  of  poor  tenant  farmers  wcrs  exiiellod 
from  their  ancient  homes  to  n-abfl  ro.im  i'or  d(  er-par!:s  and 
shtep-farms  among  the  glens.  Diiven  from  their  holdings, 
ihe  poor  Highlanders  took  refuge  in  the  New  World,  thon- 
Bands  of  miles  from  their  early  a-sociations  and  the  clinrch' 
yard  where  laj*  the  bones  of  their  fathers ;  ou  a  foreign  shove, 
amid  strange  scenes  they  built  new  homos,  and  have  become 
a  well-to-do  people.  The  eelfish  policy  of  the  powerful  no- 
bles depopulated  whole  distucts  of  the  Highiands. 

The  northern  part  of  the  island  is  mountainous,  and  the 
shores  bleak  and  inliospitable.  The  north'ast  sior;us  of 
November  and  December  hurry  many  a  vessel  on  to  this 
rocky  coast,  whoie,  if  thf  crtw  cft'-ct  a  lauding,  they  wan- 
der in  ignorance  of  the  course  to  be  taken  until  their  limbs 
aie  frozfu,  and  the  only  records  left  of  their  distress  are 
their  bones  whitening  on  the  shore.  Sometinjes  t'iey  r»  afh 
the  settlements  to  the  southward,  only  with  the  loss  of  their 
hands  or  feet  fioiu  frost  bite. 

The  shore  from  Cape  St.  Lawrence  to  Cape  North,  the 
two  northern  ex'nemities  of  the  island,  present  perpendicu- 
lar Ciiffs  which  descend  into  the  sea  without  a  beach  bov- 
der,  against  which  the  sea  dashes  with  terrific  vioienee. — 
Some  of  the  mountains  exceed  twelve  hundred  feet  in  hight, 
on  which  the  ice  and  snow  of  winter  form  glaciers,  wliose 
debris  is  often  seen  in  the  valleys.  Ten  miles  to  seaward 
iVoni  Cape  Noith  lies  the  fatal  St.  Paul,  a  barren  and  rocky 
isle,  whose  grini,  preciinlous  slioreslmve  b^eji  the  r.nm:iiked 
grave  of  thousamls.  V  ashing  ansong  its  rocks  ave  to  ba 
Been  the  bones  of  its  victims,  and  numbers  of  massive  an- 


m 


4 


I!    i 


i 


'dm 


ACADIA 


1  , 


chors  lie  ai'ound,  under  the  water,  the  only  remaining  ves- 
tiges of  ships  theie  ddshed  to  pieces.  Thus  placed  in  the 
great  entrance  of  the  Gulf,  where  perplexing  fogs  and  vari- 
able currents  conspire  to  hurry  tiie  unsuspecting  mariner 
against  the  rocks,  "  the  fatal  shock  at  onco  precipitates  siiip, 
c.ew,  and  cargo,  to  the  depths  below."  The  Acadiatis  of 
Cheticamp  used  to  visit  St.  Paul  Island  every  spring,  to  se- 
cure the  valuable  part  of  cargoes  which  the  sea  threw  up  on 
its  sliores. 

To  the  south  and  east  of  Cape  North,  that  "  watchtower 
of  tie  Gulf,  beneath  the  brow  of  which  all  must  pass  that 
appioach  or  depart  from  the  great  St.  Lawrence,"  is  Aapy 
Bay.  The  sett  ers  here  are  gathered  around  the  lagunes, 
or  as  they  call  them,  burrasois.  These  people  are  fanner- 
fishermen.  Their  farms  extend  along  the  rivers  and  sur- 
round the  head  of  the  bay.  Here  the  northeast  storms  of 
the  Atlantic  have  swept  up  a  tine  sand,  forming  a  beautiful 
beach.  Coins,  to  a  large  amount,  are  thrown  up  from  the 
ocean, — the  cargo  of  some  vessel  with  specie  foundered  there. 

The  rivers  flowing  into  the  Bras  d'Or  are,  in  general, 
streams  of  one  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  peculiarly  errat- 
ic in  their  course.  They  are  usually  obstructed  at  their 
mouths  by  low  marshy  islands,  overhung  with  the  dark  fo- 
liage of  the  hemlock  and  spruce.  The  water  is  wont  to  be 
sluggish,  the  surface  disfigured  by  huge  roots  and  branches 
of  fallen  trees,  brought  down  by  the  spring  freshets,  and 
there  water-logged  and  sunk,  to  the  no  small  peril,  in  a 
dark  night,  of  the  frail  birch -bark  canoes  of  the  Indians. 
Remains  of  gigantic  animals  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Bras  d'Or.  Thigh  bones  six  feufc  in  length  have  been  dis- 
covered in  the  bottom  of  tho  lake.  In  the  bed  of  a  tribu- 
tary river  an  extraordinary  slmll  vas  discovered.  Of  what- 
ever nature  these  colossal  creatiires  may  have  been  tbxt  an- 
ciently tenanted  the  wilds  or  the  waters  of  Cape  Breton, 
their  race  is  now  utterly  extinct. 


ENGLISH    OCOOPATION 


809 


Winter  lasts  from  the  be^jimiing  of  November  to  the  eiij 
of  April.  Ihe  ice  iu  the  Liubor  of  Svdiu^y  uekloin  breaks 
up  until  the  middle  of  the  latter  snuDi  h,  uiid  for  two  months 
following  the  coast  iH  subject  to  the  visitations  of  drift  ice 
from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, — a  groat  impeiliment  both 
to  navigation  and  vegetatiou.  Few  winters  pass  without  a 
depression  of  the  mercury  to  twenty  degrees  bc'low  zero, 
and  sometimes  to  thirt}'.  The  country  is  also  subject  to 
great  and  sudden  changes  of  temperature — thaws  of  a  week's 
duration  often  occurring  in  mid-winter.  It  is  this  that 
proves  so  destructive  to  plants  not  indigenous  to  tlie  cli- 
mate, rather  than  the  severity  of  the  cold.  Duiingii  bright 
forenoon  in  spring,  the  mercury  rises  to  summer  heat,  and 
lias  been  noticed  at  ninety-six;  the  land  thus  heated,  hav- 
ing communicated  its  temperature  to  the  atmo-sphero  i-aused 
it  to  ascend,  pi'oducing  a  current  from  seaward,  which  drives 
the  masses  of  loose  ice  into  the  harbors :  the  presence  oi*  the 
ice  brings  the  adjacent  shores  rapidly  down  to  the  freezing 
poir.t. 

A  terrible  gale  swept  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  in  August, 
1873,  wrecking  hundreds  of  vessels.  The  storm  attained  its 
greatest  force  around  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton ;  it  lasted 
only  a  few  hours,  but  was  fearfully  destructive  in  its  etri.ets, 
and  strewed  all  the  neighboring  coasts  with  drowned  mari- 
ners. Over  sixty  sail  from  the  New  England  harbor  of 
Gloucester  alone,  wei-e  included  among  the  lost.  The  storm 
has  since  been  known  as  The  Lord's  Day  Gale,  from  the 
day  on  which  it  commenced.  The  morning  dawned  bright 
and  clear,  and 


i^' 


"  Was  never  a  Gloucester  skipper  there 
But  thought  erelong,  with  a  rif,'ht  good  fare, 
To  sail  for  home  from  St.  Lawreuce  Kay. " 


Towards  noon  the  breeze  freshened,  and  at  nightfall,  the 
•to.ui  was  beating  upon  ihe  Guif  in  ail  its  iury.     But 


".•f 


:in.  m 


SIO  ACADM 

"Tlio  bedtime  bolls  in  Glouoester  town 

'i'lmt  SiiLliiith  niL;ht  vnn^'  soft  und  clear; 
The  siiilors'  childn  'ii  laid  theiu  down,  — 

Dear  LoriJ !  thfir  sweet  piiiyers  cuuidst  tboa  hear? 
*Tis  said  thiit  geuily  blew  liie  winds ; 
The  guO(l-wi\  es,  tlirough  the  sciuvaid  blinds, 

Luulied  down  the  bay  and  had  no  fear." 

NEWFOTTNDLAND. 

The  Island  of  Newfouuclland,  called  Helluland  by  the 
early  Norse  navigators,  is  of  triRngular  con f;  juration,  ^\ith 
bold  anil  rocky  shores  springing  directly  ouii  of  the.  x\.tlan- 
tic.  It  is  located  on  the  ocean  hift;hway  from  England  to 
New  York;  its  area  is  considerable  more  than  that  of  Ire- 
land, while  its  coast  line  is  double  that  oi  the  At.antic 
States.  It  is  separated  from  the  blealc  and  barren  coasts  of 
Labrador  by  the  narrow  Strait  of  Bollisle,  and  is  w.ished 
by  the  waters  of  the  Laurentian  Gnlf  ou  thr  west.  It  is  the 
home  of  the  cod  a:;d  s-ea!  tisbera,  whose  rude  luits  and  tish- 
flakes  line  the  shores  of  its  deeply  indented  bays.  These 
flake-*  are  frauips  coni=tructed  of  poles,  on  which  are  sprtad 
codiish,  nressed  and  salted,  to  be  dried  in  the  sun.  iJany 
parts  of  the  narrow  line  of  coast  are  iiteraiJy  roofed  over 
with  these  sta,c  -!S  during  the  season,  imparting  a  pecu'iar 
odor  to  the  ati;  ospheie.  In  March  or  April,  almost  all  the 
men  go  out  in  fleets  to  meet  the  ice  that  floats  down  from 
the  northern  regions,  to  kill  the  seals  that  come  down  on  it. 
Later  their  boats  dot  the  seas  in  the  pursuit  of  cod ;  while 
the  women  remain  at  home  to  plant  and  tend  the  little  gar- 
dens, and  dry  the  lish. 

In  the  vicinity  of  S^.  John  and  other  considerable  towns, 
ihe  superb  villas  of  merchants  and  business  men  now  and 
then  peep  out  from  among  tne  dark  fir  woods.  The  biac- 
jtig  atniospheie,  the  clear  bhie  skies,  the  inatch'ess  sea- 
views,  studded  with  islets  and  ^ay  with  white-wi;:ged  ves- 
«UiS,  to^^etuer  with  the  preiiy  pabtoiai  scenery  of  liie  couu- 


r  \    'i. 


\    1      ! 


ENGLISH  OCCUPATION 


811 


gar- 


)\vns, 
and 

biac- 
sea- 
ves- 

:uua- 


try  back  of  the  settlemeuts, — such  would  be  a  paradise  but 
for  the  short  Newfoundland  suminer. 

The  island  has  been  teiintd  a  iand  of  fog, — but  this  ffature 
is  more  characteristic  of  the  fishing  banks,  frotu  whii-h  it  la 
8ej)iuated  bv  a  snip  of  deep  water  fi;'ty  miies  iu  width. — 
Tliioughout  the  spring,  summer,  and  fall,  the  fog  nu'e.y 
lilts  from  these  banks,  and  a  slow  rain  ahnost  iiic  syantly 
fails.  Not  unfrequently  these  fogs  are  so  dense  thut  ob- 
jects within  sixty  feet  are  totally  invisible,  at  which  times 
the  tlshing  vessels  at  anchor  are  apt  to  be  run  down  by  the 
grc at  Atlantic  steamers.  The  proximity  of  icebergs  \vu;^h 
often  ground  on  the  banks,  is  indicated  by  the  intense  cold 
they  send  through  even  a  midsummer  day,  and  by  the  white 
glaie  in  the  air,  and  the  roar  of  breakers  on  their  sides. 
Fogs  are  comparatively  rare  ashore:  the  mists  which  euv cl- 
op the  banks,  to  the  great  peril  of  navigators,  roll  up,  day 
by  day,  a  huge  white  sta-wall,  to  within  a  mile  or  two 
of  the  coast,  while  within  the  harbor  all  is  sunshine.— 
Silvery  ribands  mark  the  courses  of  rivers  that  take  tlieir 
rise  in  lakes  among  mountains  far  in  the  interior,  where  the 
foot  of  civilized  man  has  never  trod  ;  and,  stretching  through 
miler  of  stunted  forest  of  fir  and  spruce — the  home  of  the 
bear  and  caribou — and  dashing  down  precipices,  at  last  thid 
their  way  to  the  Atlantic.  Owing  to  the  influence  of  tiie 
Guif  Stream,  frost  does  no.-  cnme  till  late  in  October,  and 
in  eariy  fad  it  is  an  exceedingly  pleasant  land  for  tu  hunt- 
er. In  1822,  an  adventurous  Scotchman  crossed  the  inte- 
rior, and  his  descripti<vi'  of  the  natural  parls,  over  wiiich 
roamed  herds  of  reindeer,  sbouUi  have  attracted  sportsmen. 
Fish  are  abundant,  ar  d  trout  will  take  a  iiy  from  a  line  held 
over  them  from  the  hand. 

Bayard  Taylor  say-'-  of  the  Bay  of  Bulls  :  "  The  village  is 
built  around  the  head  of  the  harbor ;  the  hills  behind  it 
have  been  cleared  and  turned  into  fields  of  gr.iss  and  bar- 
ley.    The  place  with  its  wooden  church,  its  tish-tiakes  aioj^g 


312 


ACAVJM 


.t     1 


the  water,  its  two  or  three  large  storeliouseSy  its  yelTo\^ 
fields  of  late  bay,  and  the  dark  dwarfish  woods  behind,  re- 
minded  me  of    a  view  on  one  of  the  Norwegian  fjords." 

Icebergs  are  seen  off  the  east  shore  at  almost  all  seasons, 
and  dense  fogs  are  often  illumined  by  the  white  glare  which 
precedes  them.  Field-ice  is  also  common  during  the  sum- 
mer, but  is  easily  avoided  by  the  warning  of  the  "^ice-blink.'* 

The  natives  met  with  on  the  discovery  of  Newfoundland 
were  Esquimaux, — men  of  stalwart  frame  aud  fierce  dispo- 
sition. Their  complexion  was  a  dark  red,  and  they  were 
renowned  for  their  courage  in  battle.  From  the  first,  they 
were  the  imii'acable  enemies  of  the  whites.  The  Micmac 
Indians  of  Nova  Scotia  and  these  red  Indians  had  cariied  on 
a  war  of  extermination  long  bofore  the  advent  of  Europe- 
ans ;  each  landing  on  the  other's  coast,  scalping  the  men, 
and  carr^ving  the  woaien  into  slavery.  The  rifle  and  bayo- 
net of  the  white  man  finally  overcame  the  valor  of  these 
fierce  natives;  abandoning  the  coasts  they  fled  into  the  al- 
most impregnable  forests  of  tlie  interior.  Sometimes,  in  the 
long  winter  nights,  they  crept  oat  from  their  fastnesses,  and 
visited  some  lone  hamlet  with  a  terrible  venfjeance.  The 
Bettlers,  in  turn,  hunted  them  like  wolves,  and  they  were  so 
reduced  in  numbers  that  they  seldom  ventured  to  appear; 
it  was  known  that  a  few  lingered,  but  were  almost  forgotten. 

The  winter  of  1830  was  unusually  severe  and  prolonged. 
Towards  spring  a  settler  was  cutting  timber  at  some  dis- 
tance from  one  of  the  remote  villages,  when  two  gaunt  fig- 
ures crept  out  of  the  bush,  and  with  sad  cries  and  painful 
gestures  implored  help.  The  settler,  terrifieil  ai.  their  hag- 
gard looks  and  uncouth  apj)ea'.anc.e,  seized  hia  gun  and 
shot  the  foremost ;  the  other  tossed  liis  lean  arms  wildly  in- 
to the  air,  and  the  wooiN  rang  with  his  despairing  shriek  aa 
he  rushed  away.  Sincn  that  time  none  of  the  race  have  been 
Been  on  the  islar.d;  and  it,  is  believed  the  last  of  them  per- 
ished from  the  severity  of  the  winter. 


Hi 


!  I 


THE  FISHERIES. 


Stretched  along  the  Atlantic  side  of  Nova  Scotia,  Cape 
Breton  and  Newfoundland,  are  numerous  tracts  of  shaV.ow 
sea,  or  submarine  fields,  where  the  depth  of  the  water  varies 
from  sixteen  to  sixty  fathoms.  The  bottoms  are  chiefly 
sand,  shingle  and  sheils,  and  are  believed  to  be  the  summits 
of  submerged  mountains.  These  so-called  "banks"  are 
swept  by  that  powerful  Atlantic  current  called  the  Gulf 
Stream,  and  owe  their  changes  and  perhaps  their  formation, 
to  its  action.  The  Gulf  Stream  is  a  mid-ocean  river  pouring 
out  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  a  temperature  several  degrees 
higher  than  that  of  the  ocean  at  the  equator,  and  falling 
only  to  eighty  degrees  when  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Grand 
Banks.  This  stream  is  of  an  indigo  blue,  with  boundaries 
sharply  defined  against  the  light  green  of  the  seas  through 
which  it  passes,*  and  is  the  home  of  multitudes  of  fi^h; 
v'lule  the  many  indentures  of  the  adjacent  shores,  comu.  • 
n;ef  *ing  with  hundreds  of  fresh-water  streams,  by  f  uruishing 
lavukable  ground  for  spawning  and  abundance  of  rich  exuvire 
en  which  to  feed,  render  the  locality  still  more  favorable  us 
tl.xi  r  jBort  of  the  finny  tribes. 

ij'mly  in  April  the  herring  rush  in   from  the  Atlantic 


*  This  change  is  so  sudden  that  when  n  ship  is  crossing  the  line,  two 
thermometers  dropped  the  same  instant  from  her  bow  and  stern,  will 
show  a  difference  of  thirty  degrees. 

V 


f^: 


(li 


314 


AOiDIA 


towards  the  shores  in  dense  shoals.  Cod,  haddock  and  pol- 
lock fol'ow  theiij,  and  feed  upon  the  flanks  of  the  advance 
arnnes :  these  in  turn  are  pursued  by  sharks  and  other  dsh 
of  pvey,  and  it  is  not  untix  the  harmless  tribes  enter  the  riv- 
ers and  estuaries  that  they  obtain  respite  from  their  vora- 
cious entmiea.  Here  they  are  assailed  by  every  device  that 
luan  can  invent  for  their  capture,  before  their  roar  is  fairly 
safe  from  attack  by  the  hungry  tr.bes  of  the  deep  ;  and  had 
not  God  created  them  with  wonderful  powers  of  reproduc- 
tion, nothing  short  of  annihilation  could  result.  Fattened 
by  tii9  exuvia3  of  the  creeks  and  bays,  they  supply  not  ouiy 
the  wants  of  the  farmer- fishor men  aloMg  the  coasts,  but  fur- 
nish the  :'<i<at  fish  marts  or:  the  world;  and  they  are  no- 
where ell  >  1  so  varied  in  kind  and  so  abundant  in 
quantity.  E  .  during  the  coldest  days  of  winter  the  shore- 
inan  can  live  upon  this  cheap  luxury  taken  from  the  w-iter 
within  sight  of  his  cabin  window.  Not  unfrequently  the 
fish  are  taken  in  such  numbers  that  the  farmer  drives  his 
ttani  to  the  shore  and  loads  his  wagon  from  the  "  haul," 
whiie  quantities  of  the  dead  and  dying  fish  axe  left  to  be 
washed  away  by  the  next  tide.* 

The  revenue  from  this  source  was  one  of  the  chief  causes 
of  the  early  broiisbetween  the  French  and  English  in  Aca- 
dia. After  the  treaty  of  Paris,  whon  Fratice  renounced  her 
claim  to  the  western  empii'e,  England  and  her  colonies  main- 
ly shared  the  fisheries  between  them.     Among  the  vexed 


i  * 


'  ■! 


*  Tbe  seal  fishery  is  still  prosecnted  with  profit  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawi'ence  aud  on  the  coR.st  of  Newfouudlaud.  When  t]ie  Europeans  lii'st 
Lc^au  lo  frequent  Canso  as  a  fisliin;j;  station,  wahus  were  quite  abund- 
ant, aud  their  te.itli,  whicli  equal  the  ivory  of  the  elephant,  formed  a  val- 
uable articls  of  trade.  When  the  ica-lields  became  closed,  these  animals 
would  sunu'tinies  i:i'id  aud  sport  on  the  snow.  They  were  attfieked  by 
bauds  of  tisheriuen  witti  spears,  niiu  sucli  havoc  was  made  amon^'  them 
that  they  linaliy  disappeared.  At  North  Cape  their  bones  are  still  found 
in  the  forest 


i/ 


THE  FISHERIES 


315 


questions  out  of  which  grew  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  this 
subject  was  a  fruitful  source  of  clisaj^'ieenient ;  and  one  of 
the  first  measures  of  the  mother  country  to  bring  the  colo- 
nists into  obedience,  was  to  deprive  them  of  their  right  in 
Acadian  fisheries. 

During  that  war,  the  colonies  neglected  this  branch  of  in- 
dustry, the  New  England  mariners  having  eugacfed  in  the 
less  sure  but  more  alluring  business  of  privateering.  The 
treaty  of  peace  of  1783,  provided  "  that  the  people  of  the 
United  States  shall  continue  to  enjoy  unmolested  the  ric^ht 
to  take  fish  of  every  kind  on  the  Grand  Ban!:  and  all  other 
banks  of  Newfoundland ;  also  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence^ 
and  at  all  other  places  in  the  sea  where  the  inhabitants  of 
both  countries  used  at  any  time  to  fish ;  and  also  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  United  Statos  shall  have  liberty  to  take 
fish  of  every  kind  on  such  parts  of  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land as  Britisli  fishermen  shall  use,  and  also  on  the  co^isfcs, 
bays,  and  creeks  of  all  other  of  his  Britannic  Majesty's  do- 
minions in  America."  Previous  to  this  the  New  England 
colonial  governments  had  granted  bounties  and  certain  im- 
munities to  the  pro[)erty  and  persons  engaged  in  the  fish- 
eries, to  which  fact  may  be  ascribed  much  of  the  interest 
of  their  hardy  seamen  in  this  lucrative  branch  of  industry. 

This  question  continaed  to  be  the  subject  of  various  dis- 
putes and  arrangements  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain.  The  latter  claimed  at  the  Treaty  of  Ghent, 
that  the  war  of  1812  aimulled  tlje  ori'^nnal  treaty  of  1783, 
and  the  question  was  left  open  until  1818,  when  a  conven- 
tion granted  the  United  States  the  right  to  fish  in  the  deep 
sea,  and  to  dry  and  cure  on  the  British  coasts ;  that  power 
renouncing  all  claim  to  fish  witl)in  three  miles  of  shore,  but 
retaining  the  privilege  of  entering  any  harbor  to  get  wood, 
obtain  shelter,  and  repair  damages.  Tliis  agreement  did 
not  end  the  dispute.  The  British  Crown  claimed  that  by 
the  convention  of  1818,  "American  citizens  were  excluded 


fill 


Ml 


816 


*r!At)TA 


in 


from  fishing  within  three  miles  of  the  coast  of  British  Amer- 
ica, and  that  the  prescribed  distance  is  to  be  measured  from 
the  headlands  or  extreme  points  of  land  next  the  sea  of  the 
coast,  or  of  the  entrance  of  the  bays,  and  not  from  the  inte- 
rior of  such  bays  or  indents  of  the  coast."  This  interpreta- 
tion by  the  legal  authorities  of  the  Crown  would  close  the 
Bay  of  Chaleuis,  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  the  St.  Lawrence 
Gulf  to  American  fishermen — to  which  the  United  States 
authorities  were  not  inclined  to  submit. 

An  English  writer  claims,  that  that  part  of  the  treaty 
\vhich  permitted  the  Americans  to  enter  the  harbors  in  dis- 
tiess,  or  for  fuel  aud  water,  was  made  a  complete  loophole 
for  evasion.  "  While  one  part  of  the  crew,"  says  he,  "are 
filling  a  water  cask,  the  remainder  are  collecting  bait,  fish- 
ing, or  clearing  decks  of  the  offal  so  pernicious  to  the  fisher- 
ies. I  was  informed  of  a  vessel  that  carried  two  bowsprits, 
one  for  sea  service,  and  another  which  had  been  sprung,  for 
in-shore  w.  rV,  "'Vith  the  latter,  the  skipper  could  enter  any 
of  the  harbors  by  night  or  by  day.  We  transcribe  other 
assertions  from  the  same  authority,*  giving  the  British  view 
of  this  vexed  question,  taking  the  privilege  of  condensing 
where  it  can  be  done  without  injury  to  the  sense. 

"Early  in  the  spring  fleets  are  sent  out  from  the  New 
England  States,  destined  for  the  coasts  of  the  British  Prov- 
inces. They  ai'e  <  j11  supplied  with  provisions,  salt,  empty 
casks,  seines,  nets,  twines,  hooks,  jigs,  bait-mills,  and  every 
article  required.  Of  this  craft  there  are  two  kinds,  the 
real  fisherman  »nd  the  '  speculator  in  fish.'  The  latter  car- 
ry pork,  flour,  molasses,  tobacco,  gin,  and  almost  every  ar- 
ticle required  by  the  provincial  fisherman.  These  vessels 
aie  soon  '  out  of  water,'  or  ' spring  a  mast,'  and  then  they 
are  stefficd  into  the  nearest  harbor,  where  a  barter  traffic  is 
immedixtoly  comvueaoei.    Fish  are  taken  in  payment  of 


*Geta«i. 


THE  FISHERIES 


317 


American  goods,  which,  being  duty  free,  are  given  to  the 
fisherman  at  a  much  lower  price  than  those  obtained  from 
the  home  merchant ;  and  the  vessel  departs  in  time  to  keep 
clear  of  the  revenue  officer,  leaving  the  butts  and  flakes  of 
the  shoremen  Ashless." 

"A  very  clever  old  sea  Captain  told  me  that  he  'once  ran 
into  St.  Mai'y^s.  Tidings  of  my  doings  had  got  out,  and  on 
the  night  of  my  arrival,  a  revenue  cutter  came  to  anchor 
right  alongside  of  me.  I  could  not  get  away,  as  the  wind 
blowed  a  stiffer  right  into  the  harbor.  All  at  once  I  had  it. 
I  sent  ashore  and  borrowed  two  young  calves  from  one  of 
my  old  customers,  and  lifted  them  on  deck.  I  dressed  two 
of  ray  Nantucket  boys  in  women's  cloths,  topping  them  ofif 
with  a  pair  of  bonnets  sent  in  my  vessel  as  a  venture.  By 
the  first  peep  of  day  I  sent  them  to  washing  shirts,  and  as 
I  seed  the  crew  of  the  cutter  about  to  move,  I  went  in  my 
little  boat  and  axed  the  people  of  the  cruiser  if  they  would 
give  me  a  bit  of  canvas  to  mend  my  mainsail,  and  sure 
enough  they  gave  me  a  fairisii  piece.  There  we  all  lay  till 
twelve  o'clock,  luy  women  washing  and  drying  clothes,  and 
our  calves  bleating  like  mad  for  their  mothers.  The  wind 
came  round,  the  cutter  got  under  weigh,  and  as  she  round- 
ed past  us  the  captain  hailed,  and  asked  if  I  would  sell  one 
of  the  calves.  I  told  him  they  were  a  particular  breed,  and 
not  for  sale.  The  captain  answered  he  thought  that  remark 
would  apply  to  our  whole  crew.  And  when  I  saw  that  his 
jib  was  tui'ued  the  right  way,  I  made  a  low  bow  to  him,  sent 
my  calves  on  shore,  turned  my  washerwomen  into  boys 
again,  and  finished  the  trade  of  the  Peggy  Ann.' 

"In  another  instance,  'it  was  stark  calm,  and  as  the  fog 
cleared  up  a  little  I  saw  I  was  in  the  very  jaws  of  a  ship  of 
war,  and  I  gave  up  all  lor  lost ;  however,  us  they  were  low- 
ering their  jolly-boat  to  board  me,  I  skulled  oflf  to  them  in 
my  little  punt,  and  asked  the  people  in  the  ship  if  they 
kuowed  what  was  good  for  the  measles.    I  could  hear  them 


M 


I' 


r  ; 


31S 


AOADIA 


if 

BHw^ 

l| 

fl 

!*■? 


laugh  from  stem  to  stern  ;  and  a  big  fat  man  they  called  the 
doctor,  told  me  to  keep  my  patients  warm,  and  give  them 
hot  drinks.  It  was  enough ;  they  took  care  uoi  to  come 
nearer  the  Peggy  Ann  that  time.' " 

More  than  half  a  century  passed  away,  marked  by  various 
disputes  and  treaties,  when,  finally,  the  Treaty  of  Wash- 
ington was  signed.  This  instrument  stipulated  that  the 
fisheries  of  both  countries  should  be  thrown  open  recipro- 
cally. England  soon  complained  that  the  privileges  grant- 
ed were  greater  than  those  accorded  her  in  return,  and  it 
was  finally  agreed  to  refer  the  matter  to  a  commission  com- 
posed of  three  members : — one  from  the  United  States,  one 
from  Great  Britain,  and  a  third  to  be  named  by  the  Emper- 
or of  Austria.  After  a  delay  of  nearly  six  years  the  com- 
mission was  organized,  the  thiee  arbitrators  being  DeForse, 
Sir  A.  T.  Gait,  and  ex-Judge  Kellogg,  of  Massachusetts. — 
Judge  Foster,  assisted  by  R.  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  and  others,  had 
chaige  of  the  Atoericau  side.  The  interests  of  Canada  were 
mainly  confided  to  Mr.  Doutre,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  Mon- 
treal. 

The  British  case  was  divided  into  two  parts — Canada,  and 
Newfoundiaud.  It  held,  in  effect,  that  fishing  in  American 
waters  was  worthless,  claiming  an  award  of  $12,000,000  for 
the  use  by  the  Americans  of  the  Canadian  inshore  fisheries 
for  twelve  years — the  period  covered  by  tlie  treaty — and 
$2,280,000  for  the  use  of  the  Newfoundland  fisheries.  The 
Americans  denied  substantially  these  claims.  The  commis- 
Hion  awarded  Great  Britain  $5,500,000,  to  be  paid  within 
the  year.     The  treaty  expires  by  stipulation  in  1885. 


LEGENDS. 


ll 

i|.:| 

1 1 .  j  i  1 

fl 


il  W\ 


r 


I 


m 


■  M 


It  is  not  without  some  degree  of  solicitude  that  we  ap- 
pend this  portion  of  the  book,  not  so  much  from  a  suspi- 
cion that  it  is  out  of  place  in  authentic  history,  as  from  the 
fear  its  purpose  may  be  misunderstood. 

Closely  associated  with  the  every-day  life  of  a  pastoral 
people  is  always  to  be  found  a  deal  of  folk-lore,  to  which 
their  customs,  their  religion,  and  their  surroundings  give  a 
coloring.  The  traditions  of  a  country  are  generally  found- 
ed on  actual  occurrences,  and  reflect,  with  singular  fidelity, 
the  social  and  intellectual  condition  of  its  people  ;  and,  more- 
over, these  traditionary  tales  often  constitute  the  only  data 
at  the  command  of  the  antiquarian  to  aid  in  determining 
important  historical  questions.  These  legends  were  picked 
up  at  the  country  firesides  during  a  sojourn  in  this  myste- 
liouB.  and  romantic  region ;  and  the  effort  has  been  made 
to  render  them  presentable,  at  the  same  time  giving  an  in- 
sight into  the  peculiar  customs  of  the  early  Acadian  peas- 
antry, and  also  a  description  of  the  more  salient  features  in 
the  natural  phenomena  of  this  tide-swept,  storm-beaten, 
foer-bound  land  of  ice  and  snows.  This  is  done  with  the 
design  of  aiding  the  student  of  history  to  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  strictly  authentic  portions  of  this  volume, 
at  the  same  time  they  may  serve  to  draw  the  attention  of 

the  superficial  reader. 

We  should  not  omit  a  favorable  mention  of  the  garrulous 
little  Frenchman,  Pierre,  who  was  most  profoundly  versed 
in  the  hidden  lore  of  this  mystei'ious  land,  and  whom  we  or 
casionally  employed  in  the  capacity  of  cicerone,  to  whc  ,t* 
kind  offices  the  rea:Ier  is  indnbted  for  much  contained  in  the 
8ucceedii)g  chapters. 


THE  CHUKCH  OF  GRAND  PRE. 


■I 


t?  'I 


During  one  of  our  rn'jning;  rambles  about  Grand  Pre, 
we  canio  upon  a  nuiDbei  ot  hollows  partially  filled  with 
earth  and  debris,  and  overgrown  with  a  rank  growth  of 
weeds  and  bushes.  These  oxcavations  are  to  be  met  with 
in  great  numbers  along  th'?  baukt  of  the  Canard  and  Corn- 
wailis  rivers,  and  in  tho  valiey  of  the  Ga«tpereau.  and  murk 
the  cellars  on  which  sfood  the  thatched  dwellings  of  tho 
peaceful  Acndians,  that  weve  burned  by  order  of  Colonel 
Winslow.  The  shades  of  the  northern  twilight  began  to 
deopen,  casting  spectral  shadows  among  a  group  of  French 
willows,  which,  transported  from  far  France  more  than  a 
century  ago,  yet  sadly  waved  their  few  scattered  branches 
over  the  despoiled  home  of  the  hand  that  had  planted  them. 
Whose  children  had  played  under  their  shade,  or  what  their 
fate,  IS  only  a  matter  of  conjecture;  but  we  do  know  that 
virtue,  contentment  and  domestic  happiness  reigned  in  those 
Acadian  homes,  and  that  the  fondest  and  dearest  hopes  of 
thousands  were,  in  one  sliort  hour,  broken  in  sunder.  I 
had  not  noticed  the  absence  of  Pierre,  until  I  heard  him 
calling  to  me  from  a  neighb(n'ing  field.  On  coming  up  I 
found  him  intently  observing  sotiic  faintly  marked  ridges  in 
the  verdant  clover.  "  Some  Acadian  relic ! "  I  said  to  myself, 
wondtring  what  new  romance  was  about  to  be  unraveled. 

"  Here,"  said  he  after  a  moment's  pause,  "hereis  the  very 


LBOENDD 


323 


spot  vhpre  stood  the  cliurcU  of  Grand  Pro,  in  which  the 
Fr'HcU  we)e  imprisoned  and  their  fate  aiinonuced  to  them." 

On  a  closer  inspection  I  found  we  wore  standing  in  a 
small  rectunj>;le  marked  by  a  Blight  rise  of  earth  at  the  i'our 
sides,  and  which  evidently  had  been  the  site  of  a  bmldiiig 
of  some  sort.  Not  wishing  to  manifest  any  doubt  as  to  the 
correctness  of  the  inforniation,  I  said  inquiruiglv,  "I  havo 
understood  the  site  of  that  church  was  at  tiie  end  of  that 
row  of  willows  yonder,  where  you  see  that  charred  stump." 

'*I  know,"  said  Pierre,  "some  say  it  stood  there,  but  you 
see  tliey  are  mistaken.  My  grandfather,  who  lan  into  tho 
woods  and  did  not  leave  the  country,  pointed  out  this  as  tlie 
place.  He  used  to  say,  that  the  bell  of  the  church  was 
buiied,  just  before  thu  English  came,  in  a  vault  built  of 
etoiie,  and  covered  with  eaitii.  The  vault  w!is  walled  up  in 
two  parts;  into  one  of  these  they  put  the  1  vil,  and  the  otu- 
er  was  for  the  church  treasure.  You  .see  times  then  were 
just  a  bit  uncertain,  and  most  of  the  people  had  buiied  their 
specie.  My  gruutifiiLher  said  that  for  a  time  jir;  vious,  the  peo- 
ple frequently  heard  stiauge  noises  in  the  air.  and  saw  un- 
usual sights  in  the  sky  at  night,  and  they  thought  these 
things  were  the  forerunuf  ra  of  some  great  evil." 

"Then  the  bell  lies  buried  here  yet,"  said  I. 

"Oh,  there  you  are  mistu'.ien,"  rep'.ied  Pierre.  "Some 
beiieve  that  the  bell  and  t'.ie  church  treasure  were  dug  up 
and  carried  away  by  robbers.  A  great  many  years  ago  a 
sirange  vessel  was  obsei'ved  in  the  Basin  of  Minas,  and  a 
party  of  men  were  seen  to  leave  it  about  midnight  and  come 
ashore  here.  Before  daybreak  a  terrible  storm  arose,  and 
the  next  morning  nothing  was  seen  of  the  ship.  Some 
thought  that  during  the  night,  while  the  wind  was  blowing 
loudest,  thi;y  heard  sounds  of  a  church  bell,  but  little  was 
thought  of  it,  until  they  observed  the  earth  had  been  dis- 
turbed ;  and  a  piece  of  wood  was  picked  up  near  this  place, 
of  a  shape  sometimes  used  to  support  u  bell  in  a  tower. 


I,.., 


324 


AODIA 


|(' ■ ' 


iii',!; 


?Si 


m  J 


i' 


From  these  circumstauces  they  were  led  to  surmise  that 
robbers  had  found  out  where  the  vault  was,  aud  carried  away 
wliat  they  wanted.  But  the  strangers  were  probably  lost 
iu  the. storm,  as  the  wreck  of  au  unknown  vessel  was  iound 
by  some  fishermen  a  day  or  two  subsequently  at  the  foo:  of 
Cape  Blomidon.  You  see  they  couldn't  carry  off  that  bell, 
and  the  priest's  robes  and  things  that  belouged  to  the 
church,  that  is,  those  who  hadn't  auy  right  to,  and  the  heavy 
gale  that  night  was  raised  up  to  defeat  their  plans." 

''  Then  the  bell  is  in  the  bottom  of  Minas  Basin,"  inter- 
rupted I. 

"My  grandfather  was  one  who  didn't  believe  this  story, 
but  claimed  tlje  contents  of  the  vault  were  put  on  board  a 
vessel  bound  to  the  Gjvspe  coast,  and  were  intended  for  a 
chapel  at  a  village  of  some  Acadiaus  who  had  taken  refiigo 
there;  but  the  ship  was  lost  within  sight  of  laud,  and  every 
soul  on  board  perished.  It  is  said  the  captain  and  crew 
had  seizid  the  treasure,  and  divided  it  among  themselves, 
aud  were  not  permitted  to  land  with  their  ill-gotten  wealth. 
And  they  say  that  bell  is  sometimes  heard,  even  to  this  very 
day,  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  during  heavy  storms." 

"  And  you  really  believe  this  you  are  telling  me,"  said  I. 

"It's  what  others  have  told  me,  and  I  have  no  reason  to 
believe  it  is  not  true,"  he  replied.  "  Have  you  never  heard  of 
Captain  Pierey,  who  was  caught  in  such  a  terrible  storm  on 
the  Gulf,  that  he  would  never  go  to  sea  again  ?  Well,  may 
be  you'd  like  to  hear  the  story  1 " 

"  By  all  means,"  I  answered.  "  But  let's  sit  down  under 
this  clump  of  buckthorn,  and  hand  mo  that  ulster.  The  air 
is  chilly  with  the  damp  from  the  meadows,  aud  we  will  wait 
for  the  moon  to  light  us  home." 


i   ...•,,    .! 


^li; 


''H 


i-eiy 


m 


A  MYSTERY  OF  THE  GASPE  COAST. 


;  I  hi 

i  in! 


Ill 


A  summer  night  on  the  Lauren  tian  waters  I  The  sky  is 
resplendent  with  the  northern  constellations,  that  twinkle 
and  glow  with  a  brillianry  unknown  in  lower  latitudes,  and 
every  star  mirrored  in  the  vast  deep  beneath.  Scarce  a  rip- 
ple moves  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  only  the  measured 
heave  ever  present  in  the  St.  Lawrence  Gulf,  serves  to  dis- 
pel the  illusion  that  the  Dauphine  is  floating  in  mid-air. 
Passengers  and  crew  are  gathered  on  deck,  the  greater  por- 
tion in  that  listless  attitude  one  assumes  when  the  mind  is 
far  away.  Everyone  seems  to  have  forgotten  the  Gaspe 
youth,  whose  apparent  verdancy  had  made  him  the  object 
of  disparagement  the  whole  day ;  and  even  Mother  Brus- 
eaud,  who  was  usually  either  complaining  of  the  present,  or 
borrowing  trouble  of  the  future,  for  once  is  strangely  si- 
lent. 

I  was  rechniug  at  full  length,  lulled  by  the  unusual  quiet 
into  that  deliiious,  half-dreamy  state,  in  which  i>ast  and 
present  seem  blended  togethei*.  The  sails  of  the  Danp/iine 
hung  useless  from  her  yards ;  the  sailors  moved  about  with 
a  noiseless  tread  ;  everything  on  board  comported  with  the 
unwonted  hush  and  stillness  that  characterized  the  elements. 

While  I  was  thus  reposing,  I  suddenly  became  conscious 
of  an  unusual  sound.  Was  it  fancy,  or  did  something  tan- 
gible really  affect  my  outward  senses  1  Presently  I  heard 
the  sound  repeated,  but  iu  scarcely  audible  tones,  not  uu- 


l"    1    :i  ' 


iSii 


320 


ACADTA 


like  the  notes  of  s  di^^tant  ohuicb  b«ll.  I  ofsrtTccd.  an  np- 
right  postii'e,  au^i  gazed  about  we.  Once  rnoif  tbf- mellow 
cafleripf  was  borne  upon  the  night  air,  this  tiiii<-  with  more 
di8ti)>ctnes6  than  before.    I  abruptly  brckt  the  silentre  with — 

"Hark !  Did  yon  hear  that  bell?" 

A  nr.Drtbei  thought  they  did  hear  something:  others  sug- 
gested I  hati  been  dreaming,  and  were  inclined  to  raise  a 
laugh  at  D'.y  expense.  The  Captain,  noting  the  sudden  re- 
newal of  eoMTersatiou,  now  came  up  to  a«>e  v^hat  was  going 
on. 

"  The  gentleman  insists  that  he  just  now  heard  a  chapel 
bel)  vingirig  for  vespers,"  e^tciaiuied  one  of  the  passengers, 
poiuting  to  me. 

"Listen  a  moment  and  be  convinced,"  said  I,  beginning  to 
get  not  a  little  piqued  ;  "the  sound  seemed  to  come  from 
that  direction,"  and  I  indicated  the  Labiador  coast. 

All  now  assumed  an  attitude  of  listening — some  I  sus^Dect- 
ed,  h'om  their  mock  gravity,  more  bent  on  mischief  than  in 
expectation  of  liearing  the  bell.  The  suspense  was  becom- 
ing irksome;  but  sud.lenly  ail  were  startled,  when  from  over 
the  sea  came  the  distinct  notes  of  a  bell,  several  strokes  fol- 
lowing each  other  in  regular  succession,  then  ceasing. 

"Perhaps  it's  the  bell  of  some  convent  on  shore,"  said 
one,  addressing  the  Captain. 

"That  can  hardly  be,"  answered  that  'icer;  "we're  at 
least  two  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  the 
Bouiiil  seoms  to  come  from  that  direction." 

"It's  the  bell  of  doom,"  growled  an  old  sailor,  Tarpaulin 
.Tiicl:,  who  was  lazily  smoking  his  pipe  as  he  leaned  over  the 
taffiail,  peering  in  the  direction  from  whence  the  sound 
came. 

"I  knowed  sumthin'  was  sure  to  happen,"  chimed  in 
Mother  Brussaud.  "  I  told  my  folks  so  before  I  left,  but 
they  only  laughed.  A  loup-garou  screamed  around  our 
house  one  night  not  long  ago,  and  only  last  night  I  dreamed 


LEGENDS 


827 


of  seem*  a  pale  blue  light  ou  the  water; "  and  the  old  wom- 
an drew  a  small  ciucitix  from  her  btjsom,  and  began  devout- 
ly to  implore  the  interpositiou  of  the  good  St.  Anne  to  pro- 
tect her. 

"  Whatever  it  is,  we're  rapidly  nearing  it,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain after  a  pause  ;  "  don't  you  see  the  strokes  are  becom- 
ing more  distinct  each  time  T  " 

The  truth  of  the  Cyi^)taiij'8  observation  was  apparent, — 
the  tones  of  the  bell  were  momentarily  becoming  louder, 
and  the  o^use,  whatever  it  might  be,  was  rapidly  coming 
nearer.  The  Captain  now  called  for  his  night-glass,  but 
was  unable  to  detect  any  unusual  object.  "  Here.  Leopold," 
turning  to  a  sailor  at  his  side— "you  have  the  sharpest  eyes 
of  any  on  the  ship,  take  this  and  tell  us  what  you  can  see." 

"I  see  some  white  object,  hke  the  sails  of  a  vessel.  Hold 
on !  X  have  got  the  thing  to  a  focus.  I'll  be  blowed  if  it 
ain't  a  packet  under  full  sail,  and  she  pitches  and  rocks  as 
though  in  a  heavy  sea." 

"  Take  the  glass  once  more  and  tell  us  her  course,"  said 
the  Captain. 

"Nearly  due  west,  sir,''  suid  the  sailor:  and  in  a  moment 
more  he  added, —  "and  as  suie  us  I'm  alive,  they  have  got 
a  bell  rigged  to  the  mast-head,  that  rings  at  each  pitch  of 
tlie  vessel.     That's  a  queer  craft  and  no  mistake." 

"  Purt  the  helm  two  points,"'  said  the  Captain  to  the  man 
at  the  wbeel.  "  I  am  going  to  run  down  ti)at  ship ;  I  have 
never  yet  steered  alocjf  from  anything  that  floats  in  these 
waters,  and  1  am  going  to  find  out  what  it  all  means. — 
What  moie  can  you  make  out,  Leopold T  " 

"Nothing,  notbing — only  they  seem  to  be  liavuig a  storm 
all  to  tlieniseives.  I  can  see  the  white  faps  of  the  waves 
all  about  their  ship,  and  I  can  see  sailors  skurrying  about 


the  decks  and   in  tlie  riggin' 


as  though 


the.r  lives    de- 


pended on  it.     She's  a  c.niusy  craft,  sii,  iike  tiiey  used  io 
build  a  hundred  years  ago.     I  can  bee  a  woman  ail  in  white, 


■  I" 


32b 


AC AVI  A 


and  she  looks  to  be  wringing  her  hands.  I  don't  like  the 
looks  of  them  at  all,  si;-  !*' 

"  Lower  the  long  boat,"  thundered  the  Captain.  **  Wholl 
volunteer  to  board  that  vessel  ?  "  Then  as  he  received  no 
immediate  answer,  he  continued — "  I'll  go  myself.  Will  any 
of  you  go  along?    Are  you  afraid  to  follow  rae? '" 

"I'm  not  afraid  of  anything  iu  the  shape  of  flesh  and 
blood,  Captciin,"  said  an  old  sailor,  coming  forward,  "and 
I'll  go  with  you  anywhere ;  but  I  don't  like  the  looks  of  that 
'ere  vessel.  Every  one  of  them  sailors  are  spooks,  and  that's 
the  Tourmente,  stove  on  the  rocks  near  here  over  a  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and  every  man  on  board  drowned.  I've 
heaid  strange  stories,  Captain,  about  that  ship,  and  I'd 
rather  give  her  a  wide  berth.'' 

Eager  listeners  now  crowded  round  the  old  sailor,  to  hear 
more  about  the  phantom  ship.  Tradition  said  that  the 
French  people  at  Grand  Pre  buried  the  bell  and  the  treas- 
ure of  the  church  just  previous  to  its  burning  by  the  Eng- 
lish. The  vault  was  subsequently  opened,  and  the  con- 
tents put  on  board  the  7hurmente  for  transportation  to  a 
Catholic  chapel  on  the  Gaspo  coast ;  but  the  captain  forci- 
bly seized  the  treasure  aiid  divided  it  between  himself  and 
the  crew.  This  was  done  contrary  to  the  earnest  protesta- 
tions of  a  Catholic  priest,  who  pronounced  a  nurse  upon  all 
who  participated  in  the  affair.  This  priest  left  the  ship  at 
the  other  side  o)  the  Gulf,  and  the  vessel  proceeded.  But 
before  she  reac'jed  her  destination,  yet  within  sight  of  peo- 
ple living  on  the  coast,  a  terrible  storm  arose,  which  dashed 
the  ship  against  the  rocks,  and  not  a  soul  survived  to  tell 
of  the  catastrophe.  Sailors  tell  of  meeting  with  the  spec- 
tral vessel  and  its  skeleton  crew,  always  in  the  teeth  of  a 
terrible  gale,  who  are  obligei,  by  reason  of  the  curse  pro- 
nounced against  them,  to  sail  up  and  down  the  gulf,  until 
the  bell  is  restored  to  its  rifrbtful  owners.  It's  an  ill  ob>en 
to  hear  the  ringing  of  a  bell  on  these  waters,  previous  tu  a 


LEOENDS 


829 


storm,  and  ihe  fisliing  craft  frequentiT^g  these  parts  regard 
a  meeting  with  that  mysterious  sail  as  something  to  be 
avoided. 

"Why,  I  am  sure  there  are  no  indications  of  a  storm  just 
now,"  observed  the  Captain,  anxious  to  allay  the  fears  that 
were  arising  among  the  passengers  at  the  superstitions  no- 
tions of  the  old  sailor.  And,  in  obedience  to  tVie  general 
wish,  he  did  not  pursue  further  his  purpose  of  boarding  the 
strange  ship. 

Neaier  and  nearer  came  the  phantom  vessel,  till  the  white 
sails  were  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  As  the  relative  position 
of  the  two  vessels  changed,  the  binnacle  lamp  of  the  strang- 
er was  brought  into  view,  that  threw  a  pale  light  over  the 
surrounding  objects.  Her  sails  were  bellied  as  if  in  the 
face  of  a  heavy  gale.  Then  the  skeleton  shapes  could  be 
seen  moviug  about  as  though  in  the  execution  of  ordcis. — 
The  rocking  and  pitchirg  of  the  vessel,  the  swinging  of 
ropes  and  blocks,  the  dashing  of  the  waves  a^  ainst  her  side, 
and  the  white  foaui  at  her  prow, — all  this  v^us  plainly  vis- 
ible, yet  uuaccotijpanied  by  any  soiiud,  save  the  clanging  of 
.  the  bell  at  the  n.ast-head.  This  was  the  more  singuiaj',  as 
our  own  vessel  was  still  becalmed,  the  breeze  hardly  suffic- 
ing to  keep  the  Dauphine^s  head  in  her  course. 

On  came  the  spectral  vessel,  crossing  our  bows  so  closely 
as  to  allow  the  biue  binnacle  light  to  flicker  full  in  our  fa- 
ces. The  female  figure  in  white  appeared  as  a  young  girl, 
in  the  attitude  of  despair.  The  old  legend  says  she  was  a 
passenger  on  board  the  ill-fated  Tourmente,  and  was  lost 
with  the  crew,  in  sight  of  her  lover  on  shore.  The  latter, 
maddened  at  the  sight  of  her  struggling  in  the  water,  plunged 
into  the  breakers  and  perished  with  her.  Everything  about 
the  decks  of  the  strange  ship,  the  dress  of  the  unearthly 
crew  and  the  cut  of  tlio  sails,  was  of  a  fashion  pertaining  to 
the  reign  of  the  (leorges. 

Scarcely  had  the  apparition  passed,  when  a  strange  op- 


4' 


3,:  II 


.1 

;  t 

1 

.,:  '¥^ 

\i-'f'''. 

'ikiiiKfJ 

I 


880 


AOADIA 


piessiveuess  in  the  air  became  manifest;  and  before  the 
passengers  aui]  crew  had  recovered  from  their  surprise,  they 
were  startled  by  an  exclamation  from  the  mate : — the  barom- 
eter had  t^uddenly  faUeu,  an  alarming  indioatioi]  that  a  vio- 
lent gale  was  at  hand. 

Instantly  all  was  activity  on  board  the  Dauphine.  The 
hoarse  orders  of  the  mate,  the  answers  of  the  sailors,  the 
creakiiig  of  blocks,  all  betokened  how  imminent  the  danger 
was  thought  to  be,  and  that  brave  men  were  doing  their  ut- 
most to  prepare  for  it.  Before  any  one  was  really  aware  of 
it,  the  sky  bad  become  overcast,  and  a  thick  darknesb  set- 
tled over  the  vessel ; — a  dai  Iiness  broken  only  by  the  phos- 
phorescent gleaming  on  the  water,  and  a  mere  spai'k  far  to 
the  west,  the  binnacle  light  of  the  retreating  phantom  ship. 
The  very,  elenjents  seemed  to  be  conspiring.  The  stoutest 
hearts  beat  more  quickly.  The  Cajitain  forgot  to  intersperse 
liis  orders  with  the  usual  oaths.  The  sailors  no  longer  in- 
dulged in  their  coarse  jokes  ;  and  the  human  voice  had  such 
ttn  unusual  sound  in  the  rarolicd  atmosphere,  that  no  words 
were  spoken  save  those  necessary  to  the  working  of  the  ship. 
Passengers  clung  to  one  another,  and  many  embraced  with 
the  thought  they  had  looked  their  last  upon  the  green  earth. 
Soon  all  preparations  were  made  ;  and  the  officers  and  crew, 
having  done  all  that  human  hands  could  do  for  the  safety 
of  those  on  board,  awaited  the  coming  of  the  tempest. 

"Hold  fast  your  lines  and  be  ready,  every  man  at  hia 
post,"  said  the  chief  officer  in  solemn,  measured  tones, 
**  there's  no  knowing  from  which  direction  the  gale  will  first 
strike  us.  God  help  we  may  not  be  driven  toward  land,  for 
if—" 

All  at  once  the  whole  sky  seemed  rent  from  horizon  to 
horizon  by  a  terrible  flash  of  lightning.  It  was  the  most 
blinding  flash  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen ;  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  sea  seemed  ablaze  with  the  horrid  glare;  and  so 
Inghti'uUy  vivid  had  been  the  momentary  gleam,  that  it  was 


LroFxns 


8S1 


Bomn  h'n>"  li^'foro  the  power  of  the  eye  was  iTsfoved.  Then 
followed  n  solemn,  doliow  peal  of  tliui'der,  utterly  iusigiiifi- 
caut  fonipnrerl  with  th  ^  flush,  which  seemed  so  mysterious 
OS  still  further  to  depress  the  spirits  of  all. 

"T  don't  like  the  looks  of  this  thing,"  said  the  man  at  the 
•wheel,  rubbing  his  eyes.  By  this  time  most  of  tlie  pasaen- 
geis  Imd  sought^  their  berths.  The  crew  had  been  told 
that  none  would  be  allowed  to  go  below  that  night,  but 
were  to  remain  at  their  posts  ready  for  any  emergency.  All 
above  was  literally  black  with  a  ponderous  darkness,  which 
rendered  all  the  more  marked  the  green  and  blue  of  the 
phosphorescent  gleaming  of  the  water  about  the  vessel. 
While  watching  the  play  of  the  weird  and  fli'-kering  lights 
as  they  darted  and  dipped  about  the  ripples,  resolving 
themselves  into  strange  and  fanciful  ligures,  I  was  blinded 
by  another  flash  of  lightning,  accompanied  with  an  instan- 
taneous report  of  thunder.  Masts,  spars,  and  vessel  seemed 
all  on  fire;  I  thought  I  heard  a  cry,  and  knew  that  we  were 
struck,  but  in  wbat  part  of  the  ship  I  cou.d  not  tell.  The 
mate  who  also  heard  the  cry,  now  <;ame  forward  and  inquired 
if  any  one  was  hurt.  Wliilu  he  was  speaking  a  confused 
roar  was  heard  in  the  distance,  which  momentarily  increased 
until  it  resembled  the  rush  of  a  cataract,  and  every  one 
knew  it  was  coming. 

"  Holm  hard  aport ! "  was  heard  in  tones  not  to  be  mis- 
understood.    "Quick,  now." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  came  the  answer.  Then  followed  the 
creaking  of  the  rudderpost;  slowly,  and  all  feared  too  slow- 
ly, the  good  ship  answered  to  her  helm.  Then  came  anotli 
er  blinding  flash,  a  loudei-  peal  of  thunder,  and  a  gust  struck 
the  vessel  tliat  almost  took  tin;  masts  bodily  out  of  her. 
All  this  occurred  in  such  rapid  succession  that  nothing  could 
be  said  or  done  till  it  was  past. 

"  If  that's  only  a  feeler,  there'll  be  business  for  us  whet- 
thu  fitorm  settles  down  in  eainest,"  said  Tarpaulin  Jack. 


»|.|| 


'■* 


it 


m 


': 


I 


r.i 


m 


332 


AOJI DIA 


Meantime  the  vessel  had  been  brought  to  her  course.  A 
man  ■.„3  sent  to  assist  the  one  at  the  wheel;  while  the  oth- 
ers stood  by  lor  a  sudden  call.  The  second  charge  of  the 
storm's  outriders  was  not  long  in  waiting.  It  struck  the 
ship  with  still  more  violence  than  the  former  one.  AH  were 
in  momentary  expectation  of  hearing  the  snapping  of  a  mast 
or  the  giving  way  of  u  sail,  but  the  staunch  vessel  bore  it 
well,  and  toie  through  iht-  water  like  a  race-horse. 

"  We're  heading  towards  the  nearest  land,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain ;  if  the  gale  continues  long  at  this  rate,  nothing  short 
of  a  miracle  cau  keep  us  off  the  Gaspe  reefs.  Do  you  see 
that  ?  " — and  ho  pointed  directly  astern. 

The  sea  was  one  mass  of  foam  anr'  aurgiug  l)illow8,  and 
the  pho!*phorescent  glovv  everywhere  present,  enabled  one 
to  see  in  any  direction.  Directly  in  the  rear  of  us  was  a 
black  cloud,  while  beneath  this  cloud,  and  in  contact  with 
the  whitc-cresled  waves,  wa's  a  «lull  luminous  mist  of  a  red- 
dish hue.  It  was  this  that  tlio  l.'aptain  hail  noticed.  A 
Jiew  s  )und  now  reached  us — I  lie  roar  acviomj^Diving  this  neb- 
ulous cloud :  as  it  came  up  it  fairly  howled  about  our  ears. 
This  bellowing  of  the  wind  is  something  one  never  hears  ex- 
cept at  sea.  It  difters  houi  the  roar  of  the  winto's  blast  as 
it  rushes  down  the  mountain  and  sweeps  along  the  valley  ; 
it  seems  endowed  with  a  liondish  propensity,  that  delights 
in  wreck  and  ruin,  and  whose  sole  mission  is  lo  destroy. — 
Its  shriek  among  the  shrouds  is  a  sound  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten, and  sets  at  nought  all  description.  A  two-fold  strength 
seemed  added  to  the  force  of  the  gale,  and  the  hardiest  sail- 
or was  obliged  to  turn  his  back  to  the  wind,  and  liold  on  by 
main  strength  to  whatever  was  at  hand  to  keep  from  being 
blown  into  the  sea. 

Once  all  was  given  up  for  lost. — A  heavy  wave  buried  the 
vessel  and  knocked  the  men  from  the  wheel :  Ijefore  she 
could  be  righted  another  billow  struck  her  at  a  di.sadvant' 
age ;  fortunately,  the  helm  was  put  down,  and  the  sliip  au- 


being 


LEOEXDS 


833 


sweringit  promptly,  she  was  brought  out  of  itmuinent  dan- 
ger.  The  men  were  now  lashed  to  the  wheel  to  prevent  a 
repetition  of  such  a  catastrophe. 

In  this  way  imssed  the  hours  till  after  midnight.  But 
littk^  chjmge  was  noticeable;  the  gali^  was  scarcely  abated; 
the  laboring  and  straining  of  the  noble  ship  began  to  tell 
on  her  strength ^  she  groaned  audibly  as  wave  after  wuve 
passed  over  hev,  and  the  practiced  ears  of  the  sailors  knew 
she  could  not  beai*  it  much  longer. 

Shortly  after  midnight,  during  a  temporary  lull  in  the 
tempest,  a  shriek  broke  upon  the  air;  in  a  few  moments  it 
was  repeated.  Was  it  from  the  sea  or  sky,  or  did  it  come 
from  some  part  of  the  ship?  What  could  it  mean?  "Go 
below,  Leopold,  and  see  if  all  is  ri«^ht.." 

The  sailor  made  his  way  with  difBcidty  nlong  the  slippery 
deck,  being  twice  washed  from  his  feet  and  jammed  against 
the  mast  with  so  much  force  as  to  knock  the  wind  out  of 
him  ;  after  repeated  trials  he  at  length  reached  the  gang- 
way', and  disappeared  down  the  ladder. 

Presently  we  heard  him  calling  for  the  Captain,  who  pro- 
ceeded to  the  gangway,  dirr cting  me  to  follow.  At  the  foot 
stood  Leopold,  with  a  lantern  in  his  hand,  and  his  face  the 
very  \  icture  of  terror.  Wittiout  uttering  a  word  he  led  us 
directly  to  the  beith  occupied  by  Motlier  Brupsaud,  when 
what  a  sight  met  our  gaze!  There  lay  the  old  woujau, 
holding  in  one  hand  the  crucilix,  with  both  ai  ms  extended 
as  if  f(.r  help,  with  her  eyes  turned  up\\ard  in  her  head  un- 
til nothing  but  the  whites  were  visible,  stone  d(.ud!  Auaik 
streak  passed  down  the  face  and  along  the  left  arm  of  the 
unfortunate  woman,  the  quick  work  of  the  ligbtnino's  flash. 
Her  forebodings  had  this  time  been  reaHzed.  Slie  iuul  evi- 
dently been  dead  some  hours,  and  if  so,  what  was  ti^at  cry 
just  hearel?  At  this  moment  an  unusual  movement  was 
heard  on  deck,  and  we  hurried  up  to  see  what  new  danger 
menaced  us. 


III 
ill 


EH 


kCAVIA 


"Wbnf  is  ihfii  brifrlit  lifjht  to  the  wrst.  sir,"  smM  a  rniflnr 
lo  tho  Ciiptniu  who  reuchcil  the  deck  duiinjj;  (mo  of  the  brief 
lulls  of  the  storm,  "are  we  nearing  the  InnJ?" 

"  That  comes  from  the  binnacle  of  the  ship  the  spooks  are 
Bailing  in,"  answered  anotlier  tar. 

Presently  the  Toico  of  the  Captain  was  henrd — "Is  there 
any  one  on  board  that's  acquainted  with  this  coast  ?  In 
lia  f  an  hour  we'll  be  among  the  breakers !  " 

For  several  minutes  no  one  answered.  The  Captain  re- 
peated the  question — "  Does  any  among  you  know  this 
coast?  "  Slill  no  answer  came.  Every  individual  on  board 
knew  their  situation  was  almost  hopcloss,  and  all  shrank 
from  assuming  any  responsibility  in  such  a  dire  extremity. 
It  was  a  limo  of  terrib'e  suspense.  They  were  being  driv- 
en forward  with  frightful  rapidity,  evtiy  moment  bearing 
them  nearer  to  what  seemed  inevitable  destruction.  All  at 
once  a  voii;e  ran;i;  out  clear  above  the  roar  of  the  storm  and 
seething  of  the  billows — 

"I  do,  sir!" 

There  was  something  in  that  voice  that  revived  hope  in 
every  breast.  "  Well,  come  foi  ward,  and  let's  know  who  and 
what  you  are,''  shouted  the  Captain.  But  wl\en  the  Gasre 
youth,  Ettrinee,  came  up,  a  murmur  of  disapprobation  ran 
through  the  crew.  Even  the  Captain  could  not  helj)  par- 
taking of  the  general  sentiment ;  but  as  he  tuined  the  light 
of  the  lamp  full  on  the  youth,  a  look  of  surprise  lighted  up 
the  f(  atures  of  that  cfScer, 

The  young  man  was  no  longer  the  diffident  and  hesitat- 
ing youth  of  the  day  before.  Every  line  of  his  countenance 
was  animated,  the  figure  erect,  the  voice  strong  and  manly, 
and  he  stood  the  scrutiny  of  the  Captain  with  a  grace  that 
evinced  a  consciousness  o!"  his  own  powers. 

""Well,  Avho  are  you,  and  what  do  you  know  aboi  '  it." 
said  the  Captain  in  as  •:rr.flf  a  voice  as  he  could  ass' 

"I  was  born  within  a  league  of  where  this  vesse        -^ely 


LfclitNDS 


333 


to  Htrike.  atiil  know  t-vt-rv  (.-uve  luxi  vcei  within  twenty 
uiili'H."  TLiiri  wua  utteiod  with  ft  fioeJoui  and  ciocihiou  ti.ut 
at  once  lumle  fneiuls  of  tht-  ci(;w. 

"How  do  3'ou  know,  yomig  in;ui,  wbcro  tliis  ship  is  pfoinpf 
to  stiikc,  wLeu  tl.eic  lire  no  li^^lithuusfs  within  til'ty  juilc-j 
of  lic'ic,  and  the  night  is  so  thick  you  can  almo.st  cut  it  wnh 
a  knifo.  Yoii  cau't  see  u  chff  before  you  can  tuiu-lj  it  witli 
youi  hand,  and  tlio  tinng  is  iittii  ly  impossible  unlo.ss  you 
are  in  league  with  Ihcse  imps  yonder  in  that  j;hoHt  of  a 
«hip."  This  WHS  spoken  iu  a  vvay  that  was  intended  to  an- 
nilidato  the  lad,  but  he  unH\ver<>d  without  chaugujg  a  i'en- 
tuits  or  abating  a  wliit  of  his  animation — 
"  You  see  that  light  just  ahead  f  " 
"  Yes,  and  it's  the  binnacle  lamp  of  the  spooks." 
"So  be  it,"  said  the  boy.  "  To  follow  uireutly  in  the 
path  of  that  light  is  youv  only  chance.  The  phantom  ship 
in  heading"  diiect  for  Shelter  Cove,  to  be  dashed  in  pieces 
against  a  sunken  lock  at  the  mouth  of  ihe  chanrcd,  at  the 
very  spot  where  the  real  vessel  was  wrecked  over  a  iiundred 
yeai  s  ago.  The  ghost  of  the  maiden's  lover  will  be  await- 
ing her  on  the  cliff  with  a  spectre  bonfire,  that  lights  up  the 
aea  lor  a  great  distance.  By  the  aid  of  that  light,  and  by 
noting  where  the  phantom  ship  disappears,  one  acquainted 
with  the  channel  may  possibly  bring  his  ship  into  the  har- 
bor." Then  as  if  noticing  evidences  of  incredulity  on  the 
part  of  his  hearers,  he  continued:  "  Once  a  year,  at  each  an- 
niversary of  the  wreck,  this  whole  scene  is  gone  through; 
I  have  several  times  gone  down  to  the  beach  to  seethe  bou- 
tire,  and  the  ghost  of  the  young  man  springing  from  the 
cliff  to  join  the  maid ! " 

"And  do  you  suppose  you  can  pilot  this  vessel  into  the 
channel  you  speak  oil  Recollect,  young  man,  this  is  a  ter- 
rible storm,  and  many  lives  are  dependent  on  the  safety  of 
the  ship.  Are  you  willing  to  take  the  risk  if  I  see  tit  to  give 
you  the  authority?  " 


1 

1 

t  i 

,:< 

u 

3C6 


AO»DTA 


"  I  do  not  hesitate  to  take  the  risk  on  one  condition,"  re- 

spondeil  tlio  youtb. 

"I^ume  it,''  said  the  Captain. 

"I  will  assume  the  responsibility  on  condition  that  I  can 
have  the  entire  control.  It's  your  only  chance.  If  the  ship 
behaves  well,  and  the  sai.s  holri,  i  think  we  can  bring  her 
safely  through.  You  will  have  to  (It  -ide  pretty  sooi.,  as  I 
can  aii'eady  hear  the  sound  of  break  3r8  ahead,"  said  the  boy. 

A  hurried  consultation  of  tlie  officers  was  held ;  the  idea 
of  trusting  their  lives  to  a  ptsrfoct  stranger,  and  who  was  to 
be  guided  in  his  course  by  .'•ghts  and  signs  not  of  earth,  ap- 
pealed a  purpose  too  wild  and  visionary  to  be  entertained^ 
Ilowever,  the  Captain  favored  the  plan,  and  as  there  seemed 
to  be  no  better  courser  a  reluctant  consent  was  given. 

"  Go  ahead,  lad,  and  let's  see  what  you  can  do,"  said  the 
Captain  in  the  presence  of  the  officers. 

"First  I  want  the  mizzen  stay-sail  bent  to  its  place." 

"Why,  madman!"  said  the  uiPte,  "the  ship  has  all  the 
.  aus  she  can  stagger  under  now  ;  and  would  you  have  her 
b.own  clear  out  of  water  ?  Besides,  no  sailors  could  bend 
a  sail  of  that  size  in  the  teeth  of  such  a  blast ! " 

"Give  the  lad  the  trumpet,"  said  the  Captain  ;  "I  see  he 
has  the  stuff  in  him,  and  I  believe  he  knows  what  he's  about. 
If  the  spooks  will  have  the  lundness  to  light  us  into  the 
harbor,  I  for  one  won't  object.  Give  the  lad  the  trumpet, 
and  let's  see  what  conies  of  it !  '  This  command  the  mate 
surlily  obej  ed,  and  dropped  awa; '  muttering  to  himself. 

But  the  youth,  not  appai'ently  noticing  the  demeanor  of 
that  officer,  caught  up  the  instiument,  and  began  to  give  the 
oj'ders  so  rapidly  and  intelligent'iy,  as  to  excite  the  admira- 
tion of  ul),  not  exce[iting  the  mate.  The  sail  was  bent  to 
its  pliice  with  a  promptness  that  was  remarkable — the  crew 
evidently  imbibing  the  spirit  of  the  youthful  sailor,  for  such 
he  had  already  proved  himself.  The  Captain,  meanwhile, 
was  clapping  his  hands,  so  pleased  was  he  at  the  masterly 


LEGENDS 


837 


manner  of  its  acconip!idhtxient.  Aa  soon  as  tbe  Dauj^hine 
felt  tbe  f  nee  of  this  additional  canvas,  she  fairly  leaped 
from  wave  to  wave ;  all  looked  to  see  the  siul  torn  to  shreds, 
or  the  inasts  shaken  out  of  their  sockets. 

"She's  as  staunch  a  ship  ae  ever  was  afloat,  and  she'll  do 
her  best  to  get  out  of  this  scrape,"  sang  out  tbe  Captain,  as 
soon  as  be  perceived  she  would  bear  the  strain. 

"I  want  two  of  the  most  experienced  helmsmen  at  the 
wheel,  and  your  best  leadsman  forward.  Now  every  man 
at  his  post  and  be  ready  at  the  word." 

The  orders  were  quickly  obeyed  and  all  bands  were  look- 
ing towards  the  phantom  ship;  presently  a  flash  was  seen, 
as  though  a  cannon  had  been  tired,  though  no  report  was 
heard:  this  was  followed  by  another  and  another  at  regular 
intervals. 

"  The  spooks  are  signaling  for  help,"  explained  the  youth. 
Almost  immediately  a  light  was  seen  to  break  out  on  the 
summit  of  a  cliflF— a  pallid,  unnatural  brightness,  yet  suf- 
ficient to  illuminate  the  sea  for  miles.  By  its  aid  ibe  end- 
less lines  of  breakers  could  be  seen  on  all  sides,  only  a  tor- 
tuous, dark  line  between  the  crests  marked  the  course  of 
the  channel. 

Presently  the  spectral  ship  was  seen  to  stagger ;  her  prow 
shot  upward,  and  then  the  vessel  settled  slowly  down  stern 
foremost,  and  was  engulfed  in  the  waves.  Not  a  sound  ac- 
companied the  catastrophe,  only  the  mournful  cadence  of 
the  bell,  still  pendant  at  tbe  mast-head,  which  kept  its  se- 
pulchral tolling  until  it  disappear  id  from  sight.  And  now 
the  figure  of  the  girl  in  white  appeared  on  the  boiling  surf, 
casting  up  her  arms  wildly,  as  if  imploring  help ;  an  out- 
burst from  the  crew  of  the  Daupldue  followed,  as  from  the 
summit  of  the  cliff  the  form  of  a  man  appe  iied  in  the  act  of 
leaping  into  the  sea :  the  twain  wei-o  seen  for  a  moment, 
clasped  in  each  other's  arms,  and  then  pank  from  sight. 
Instantly,  ship,  crew  and  sea  were  enveloped  in  almost 


i'i 


I;i1l| 


338 


ACADIA 


1- 


h 


n 


Cimmerian  darknes«».  Captain  and  crew  stood  spell-bound, 
as  if  doubting  the  f-virlence  of  tbeiv  senses.  Not  so  with  the 
youth,  however ;  for  while  the  others  had  been  wholly  oc- 
cupied with  the  apparition,  his  practiced  eye  had  been  tak- 
ing in  the  locatiou  of  the  channel;  and  no  sooner  hud  the 
light  disappeared  tbiin  the  sharp  tones  of  the  trunapet  were 
again  heard  ringing  \\bove  the  roar  of  the  tempest.  The 
orders  came  rapidly,  and  were  executed  as  promptly. 

"  Breakers  ahead,"  shouted  the  lookout  forward. 

"  Breakers  on  the  lee  bow,"  sang  out  auotliar. 

"  Had  n't  you  better  take  soundings,"  cried  the  captain. 

"Not  yet,"  answered  the  youth;  and  at  the  same  breath 
issuing  the  necessary  commands  to  the  hehnsmen  and  those 
at  the  braces,  the  dreaded  reef  was  soon  left  astern. 

On  went  the  vessel,  plunging  heavily  into  the  darkness. 
The  compass  remained  unnoticed  in  its  box ;  the  line  with 
the  deep-sea  lead  was  yet  coiled  in  the  hands  of  the  leads- 
man ;  everything  depended  on  the  voice  of  the  stranger 
youth,  whom  many  of  the  sailors  began  to  suspect  as  some 
being  more  than  human,  sent  by  their  patron  saint  to  bring 
about  their  deliverance.  They  saw,  by  the  occasional  flash- 
es of  lightning,  they  were  close  in  shore,  and  could  make 
out  the  dismal,  sullen  dashing  of  the  waves  against  the  base 
of  the  clififs. 

"Helm  hard  a-port," — came  forth  from  the  trumpet,  and 
every  one  knew  a  critical  moment  had  arrived.  The  rud- 
der-post turned  in  its  socket  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  as 
the  vessel  wore  round,  a  flash  of  lightning  revealed  a  rock 
which  seemed  to  have  arisen  directly  out  of  the  sea,  against 
which  the  yard  arms  almost  grazed  as  the  ship  was  brought 
about.  Thus  passed  the  moments  away, — moments  which 
seemed  lengthened  into  hours  to  that  anxious  crew.  Re- 
peatedly wa^j  the  staunch  craft  afterwards  brought  out  of 
perils  quite  as  inimineut,  the  youthful  pilot  pioviug  him- 
self, thus  i'ai,  etj  .ul  to  every  emuigeucy. 


LFOEKDS 


339 


■^1 


"I  srp,"  said  the  captain,  who  was  coctinually  giving  ut- 
terance to  words  of  encouragement, — "I  aee  how  the  lad 
maniiges  it; 'he  is  guided  by  the  racket  of  the  rips,  and  the 
Bounds  upon  the  shore.  A  quick  ear  is  worth  everything  in 
such  an  emergency.  We'll  be  out  of  this,  yet,  you  may  take 
my  word  for  it." 

"  Now,"  said  the  youth,  after  a  few  minutes  had  elapsed, 
•'now  comes  the  critical  moment  of  ali.  We  must  wear  the 
ship  about  so  as  to  enter  that  opening  in  the  line  of  break- 
ers on  the  left.  If  there  should  be  a  favoring  lull  in  the 
tempest  for  only  the  briefest  period,  we  ina}'  yet  make  the 
p')rt  in  sai'ety,  otherwise  all  we  have  yet  done  avails  us  noth- 
ing." 

All  now  awaited  the  crisis  in  breathless  anxiety.  They 
were  near  the  point  where  the  vessel  muat  veer  her  course, 
or  be  driven  to  speedy  destruction  ;  while  to  maneuver  ex- 
cept during  the  lulls  was  to  capsize  her.  God  help  there 
may  be  a  favoring  coincidence! 

The  ship  was  iiow  almost  abreast  the  opening,  but  the 
tempest  acted  as  though  understanding  their  purpose,  and 
was  determined  to  thwart  it.  A  moment  more  and  it  will 
be  too  late ! 

Just  as  all  hope  was  dying  out,  the  wind  ceased  its  fury, 
as  though  in  obedience  to  a  guiding  hand.  The  orders  were 
given;  the  ship  seemed  to  realize  her  peril,  for  she  spraug 
to  her  new  course  with  a  celerity  that  was  surprising.  A 
fiw  moments  and  her  prow  shot  into  the  narrow  opemug, 
a^id  as  a  wild  shout  of  the  crew  went  up  at  their  miracu- 
lous deliverance,  the  good  ship  rode  gayly  into  the  gently 
heaving  current  of  the  harbor 


•iti 


>.     I,  i!  « 


'I    ; 


(lii 


f 


m 


11 


(  I'l 


;■■ 


SPIRIT  CAMP. 


The  day  had  been  excessively  warm.  By  the  aid  of  our 
padilles  alone,  we  had  measured  more  than  a  score  of  miles 
since  dawn.  We  took  time  to  pause  and  cast  a  fly  in  the 
deep  shade  of  a  fir-clad  rock,  and  were  rewarded  with  a  num- 
ber of  the  sped  lod  beauties.  The  rifle  of  Pierre  had  brought 
down  a  brace  of  grouse  at  one  of  our  landings  for  water; 
and  we  were  cheered  with  the  prospect  of  a  supper  "fit  for 
the  King." 

We  were  stopping  a  few  days,  Pierre  and  I,  amid  the 
matchless  scenery  of  the  lakes  among  the  Blue  Mountains — 
that  paradise  of  the  hunter  and  angler.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing we  passed  an  Indian  village.  It  was  composed  of  some 
dozen  wigwams,  situated  on  a  small  island,  in  a  natural 
meadow,  bordered  by  a  grove  of  sugar  maples.  The  wigwams 
were  built  in  the  Indian  fashion,  circular  in  form,  with  oval 
tops,  and  covered  with  bark.  The  entrances  were  low,  and 
they  looked  as  though  a  person  could  not  stand  upright  in 
them.  The  squaws  and  pappooses  were  dodging  in  and 
out,  and  otherwise  manifesting  a  coyness  of  disposition, 
mingled  with  a  curiosity  to  behold  us.  The  men  appeared 
to  be  absent  on  a  hunting  expedition.  We  noticed  among 
them  a  number  of  pretty  girls,  with  unmistakable  signs  of 
white  blood  in  their  veins,  dre^ssad  in  good  taste,  and  chat- 
tering in  French.  There  is  a  melancholy  interest  attached 
to  them,  as  they  are  the  descendants  of  wretched  Acadian 


IiSOENDS 


841 


yi 


I!' 


'I 


mothers,  who,  to  escape  a  worse  iale,  threw  themselves  into 
the  arms  of  savages.  It  is  hard  to  conceive,  at  the  present 
time,  of  the  extremity  to  which  a  white  woman  must  be  re- 
duced to  drive  her  to  such  an  altejnative.  These  females 
are  adepts  at  managi»g  an  oar.  Standing  uf>  in  their  boats, 
with  a  large  straw  hat  confined  to  tlie  head  with  a  narrow 
black  string  passing  from  the  crown  under  the  chin,  the 
large  brim  standing  out  straight,  they  are  odd  figures 
enough.  They  will  shoot  a  canoe  over  a  rapid  with  inimi- 
table dexterity,  and  with  as  much  ease  as  a  boy  will  manage 
a  wheelbarrow. 

The  sun  yet  wanted  some  hours  to  setting  when  our  ca- 
noe shot  into  a  lake  of  unprecedented  beauty.  Islands  of 
every  imaginable  contour  rose  up  within  it.  Here  a  single 
rock  crowned  with  a  solitary  tuft  of  evergreen,  stood  side  by 
sidc!  with  its  more  assuming  neighbor,  bristling  with  clumps 
of  fir,  shaggy  with  Usnea,  and  fragrant  with  resinous  bal- 
sams. There  was  a  still  larger  island,  with  groves  of  ma- 
ple, beech  and  birches,  with  natural  meadows  luxuriant  with 
native  grasses,  and  glowing  with  patches  of  wild  flowers— 
the  familiar  haunt  of  the  fallow  deer.  Now  and  then  a  peb- 
bly beach  held  out  a  tempting  lure  to  embark.  Quiet,  syl- 
van scenes  opened  up  as  we  coasted  along ;  while  frequent- 
ly our  boat  grazed  over  patches  of  water-lilies,  aiTowheads 
and  other  aquatic  plants,  or  glided  under  the  shade  of  "mos- 
sy banks  "  overhung  with  the  dark  foliago  of  the  hemlock. 

Beneath  us  wore  myriads  of  the  finny  tribes,  an  we  knew 
by  thtj  splash  and  ripples  they  made  as  they  leaped  to  catch 
the  unwarj' fly ;  wo  could  see  deer  quietly  feeding  on  the 
lily-pads,  and  overhead  wheeled  flocks  of  wild  water-fowl. 
"Here,"  exclaimed  I,  "here  are  the  fabled  Indian  Gardens, 
and  here  will  I  pitch  my  tent  in  the  wilderness." 

AVhile  leisurely  floating  along,  we  came  in  sight  of  a  plat 
of  greensward,  tiliiuUd  by  a  grove  of  inin)euse  oaks,  looking 
BO  cool  and  delicious,  and  wilhalso  inviting,  that  1  in  vol  uu' 


!:ili 


J 


lit 


342 


AOADTA 


t> 


P 


tai'ily  uttered  an  ex^^^amation  of  surprise,  and  announced  a 
deterniiuatioM  to  bivouac  there  for  the  ni'^ht.  I  thou-jflit  I 
detected  an  expression  in  Pierre  that  was  unfavorable  to  iny 
plan,  but  so  enthusiastic  was  I,  that  I  did  not  stop  to  con- 
sult him,  otherwise  I  might  never  have  told  the  following 
story.  In  a  few  moments  the  keel  of  our  boat  grated  on 
the  soft  and  yielding  sand ;  stejaping  on  the  beach  we  lifted 
t'.ie  frail  craft  from  the  water,  jDutting  it  down  beside  one  of 
the  di'uidical  trunks.  Leaving  Pierre  to  prepare  supper,  I 
set  out  to  reconnoiter. 

A  little  brook  ran  down  the  outer  circle  of  the  grove: 
the  clearness  of  the  water,  and  the  mossy  banks  along  which 
it  flowed,  struck  ray  eye  at  once,  and  I  prepared  to  cast  ray 
fly.  With  varying  fortune  I  ascended  the  stream  a  consid- 
erable distance,  until  it  led  nic  into  what  had  once  been  a 
clearing.  It  was  considerably  overgrown  with  underbrush, 
but  there  were  several  gnarled  apple  trees,  and  remains  of 
cellars ;  and  a  further  exploration  revealed  a  little  cemetery 
containing  a  number  of  graves,  on  one  of  which  was  a  stone 
cross,  overgrown  with  moss,  and  beaten  with  the  storms  of 
many  winters.  This,  as  I  have  since  learned,  is  but  a  sam- 
ple of  what  may  be  seen  in  many  of  the  out-of-way  places 
in  the  Province.  They  are  the  relics  of  the  fleeing  Acadi- 
ans,  who,  in  the  memorable  years  of  1755-60,  took  refuge 
in  these  mountains  to  escape  from  the  English  who  were  re- 
morselessly hunting  them  from  the  territory, — grim  me- 
mentoes of  the  sufferings  of  a  sadly  afflicted  people ! 

It  was  near  sundown  when  I  returned.  My  faithful 
guide  had  dressed  the  grouse  and  had  them  spitted  on  long 
sticks  stuck  into  the  ground.  The  trout  had  been  rolled  in 
flour  and  were  broiling  on  thin,  flat  stones  laid  on  the  coals. 
The  odor  of  the  coffee  was  cheering,  and  Pierre  had  pre- 
pared a  surprise  for  me  in  the  shape  of  a  dessert  of  the  wild 
borries  which  studded  the  rich  vegetable  mould  over  which 
we  walked. 


LEOENDS 


343 


The  stars  had  come  out  as  we  finished  our  repast  We 
chose  a  choice  bit  of  ground,  collected  some  branches  of  a 
reaiuous  fir  for  fuel,  and  trimmed  spruce  branches  enough 
to  make  an  elastic;  bod  several  inches  in  depth.  The  smoke 
of  the  Ciimp-lire  drove  away  the  mosquitoes ;  and,  wrapped 
in  our  blankets,  with  the  bltize  lighting  up  the  overhead 
foliage  from  beneath,  until  it  glowed  like  a  golden  fiet-work 
against  the  dark  mossy  trunks  and  tangled  copse,  we  com- 
mitted ourselves  to  the  god  of  slumber,  testifying  to  the 
correctness  of  the  observation  that  there  is  no  completer 
comfort  than  a  seat  by  the  camp-tire, — no  sweeter  rest  than 
when  the  boughs  of  the  forest  are  both  our  bed  and  our 
canopy. 

I  know  not  how  long  I  had  been  sleeping,  when  I  was 
aroused  by  the  stiange  movements  of  the  dog.  As  I  looked 
fiom  under  the  blanket,  he  was  sitting  upon  his  haunches, 
his  nose  pointed  toward  a  little  cove  bordered  with  alders, 
uttering  low  whiniugs  not  unlike  the  moanings  of  a  human 
being,  and  occasionally  br*  aking  into  a  howl  that  „"ave  rise 
to  strange  forebodings  as  they  fell  upou  the  ear  iu  the  silence 
of  that  lonely  camp. 

"  Be  still.  Carlo,"  said  I,  surmising  the  dog  had  heard 
the  stealthy  tread  of  some  wild  animal  lurking  in  the  bush- 
es. But  the  dog  would  not  be  still.  Just  then  the  guide, 
who  had  been  awal.ened  by  the  noise,  pointed  towards  the 
little  cove  and  abruptly  exclaimed — 

"See  there!" 

I  looked  as  he  indicated,  and  s&vf  what  made  my  blood 
curdle!  There,  uo*^  twenty  feet  from  where  we  had  been 
Bleeping,  were  two  figures  in  human  form,  a  male  and  fe- 
male, in  the  act  oi'  launching  a  canoe.  That  they  were  not 
real  persons  was  evident,  as  we  could  see  objects  through 
them  as  through  mist,  and  their  movements  wore  of  that 
airy  sort  that  sets  at  naught  the  laws  of  giavitatiou.  They 
were  apparently  iu  great  haste,  fiequeutly  looking  buck  as 


I 


1; 


r 


ii 


ipn 


i 


! 


I 


i! 
I 


344 


ACilDTA 


if  in  fear  of  being  followed.  Thoy  Beerned  not  to  notice  our 
proximity ;  and,  as  soon  as  tbey  were  seated  in  tlieir  canoe, 
paddled  swiftly  out  into  the  lake,  and  disappeared  among 
the  numerous  islands. 

"We're  on  enchanted  ground,"  exclaimed  I,  sometime  af- 
ter our  strange  visitants  had  departed,  "  and  this  explains 
your  reluctance  to  pitch  our  camp  here.  Why  didn't  you 
tell  me  that  lost  spirits  haunted  this  spot,  and  that  we  were 
likely  to  have  visitors  around  our  cauip-tire  other  than  those 
of  flesh  and  blood  T" 

"  I  confess  I  didn't  like  the  idea  of  stopping  here,  but  I 
knew  you  would  only  laugh  at  me.  I  saw  something  one 
night,  some  years  ago,  when  encamped  in  this  very  place, 
with  no  companion  but  my  dog,  something  I  never  dared 
tell  of,"  answered  the  guide.  "I  jumped  into  my  boat  and 
was  miles  away  before  morning,  and  I  never  visited  the  spot 
again  until  to-day.  The  dog,  there,  knows  that  something 
is  around  here  that  ought  not  to  be;  see,  how  he  trembles  ! 
Say,  Carlo,  what's  the  matter,  hey?" — and  the  noble  beast, 
thus  appealed  to,  came  up  to  the  guide,  and,  in  his  dog  lan- 
guage, craved  protection  in  the  most  piteous  manner. 

"I  saw  indications  of  an  old  settlement  just  back  of  our 
camp  ;  were  those  spirit  voyageurs  that  we  just  now  saw, 
in  any  way  associated  with  the  tenants  of  those  forgotten 
graves  I  stumbled  over,  and  who  for  some  cause  are  obliged 
to  revisit  the  scenes  of  their  active  life  ?  They  certainly  did 
Dot  seem  like  Indians,"  exclaimed  I,  half  meditatively. 

"Yes,"  said  the  guide,  "at  least  I  have  heard  old  hunters 
Bay  so.  The  story  has  been  told  many  a  time  but  I  can't 
say  how  much  truth  there  is  in  it." 

"I'm  too  wide  awake  for  sleep,"  I  exclaimed,  "and  who 
knows  but  what  our  visitors  will  be  back  again  pretty  soon. 
I  propose,  in  that  case,  to  scrape  a  closer  acquaintance.  In 
the  ujcantiuie,  lets  have  the  story  I  ilare  say  it's  a  bloody 
advculurc,  or  it  wouldn't  be  necessary  for  those  fellows  to 


our 

Ollg 

»af- 

you 

1.   • 

ireie 
lose 

It  I 

oue 

,.  •;■ 

ace. 

_^^^^>^-_ 

ired 

Jjj^^B^^^g^- 

jIhhhip^^ 

aud 
jpot 

^te^         -mm 

wtfr 

les! 

^^HL 

^■V  1 

ast, 

'^■■1 

V 

lan- 

jpu-'ji 

r 

our 

;:;;^S^g55f.~. 

-  -  "^^-^u 

» 

In 

>cly 

to 


A-^/^- 


"Tliere,  uot  twenty  foot  finm  whore  wo  luul  boon  sloop- 
ing,  were  two  figures  Iftuuching  a  oiuioo. "  -  Pugo  ;t4;{. 


ifl 


I,Tni^VT)«< 


S45 


W 


Ipare  the  quiet  of  their  graves,  and  revisit  tlio  haunts  of 

At  that  moment  a  piercing  cry  went  up  from  the  forest 
on  the  further  slu-re  of  the  lake,  eiuling  in  a  prnlongoil  liowl 
that  echoed  and  reverberated  among  the  woods,  and  then 
died  away.  "It's  some  hungry  panther  that/a  got  u  sniff 
of  our  supper,"  said  Pierre.  "1  heard  him  earlj'  in  the  eve- 
ning, and  I  think  he's  working  round  this  way.  Maybe 
he'i)  pay  us  a  visit  before  morning."  ^Vith  the.-se  words  the 
guidw  threw  a  fresh  lot  of  fuel  on  the  coals,  and  immediate- 
ly the  blaze  caught  among  the  dry  bniiiches,  roaring  and 
leaping  up,  and  sending  the  sparks  high  above  the  tree-tops. 
The  huge  oak  trunks  looked  likn  grim  sentinels  in  the  flick- 
ering fiie-light,  and  we  almost  expected  to  see  the  dusky 
forms  of  Indian  warriors  of  old  start  up  in  the  surrouudiug 
darkness,  disturbed  at  our  intrusion  of  their  domains. — 
While  reposing  at  fui!  length,  gazing  up  at  the  canopy  of 
leaves  glowing  overhead,  and  shrouding  everything  outside 
our  fire-light  in  dorkness,  the  fojlowing  tale  was  told  me. 

It  was  during  that  stormy  period  when  the  French  in- 
habitants of  Nova  Scotia  were  being  forcibly  driven  from 
their  homes,  that  a  number  of  families  at  Annapolis  Royal, 
hearing  of  the  fate  of  their  countrymen  at  Grand  Pre  and 
"Windsor,  coliecled  such  of  their  goods  as  they  could  con- 
veniently carry  away,  together  with  a  portion  of  their  stock, 
and  fled  to  the  mountains.  It  was  with  the  greatest  ditH- 
culty  they  made  their  way  through  the  woods.  Exposed  to 
the  September  storms  of  that  latitude,  with  no  shelter  even 
at  night,  the  more  feeble  among  them  soon  died.  A  mother, 
with  a  sick  babe  at  her  breast,  would  toil  on  as  best  she 
could  :  the  New  England  troops  were  in  close  pursuit,  and 
no  delay  could  be  made ;  giving  the  little  darling  one  last 
embrace  as  its  spirit  took  flight,  she  would  hastily  consign 
its  body  to  the  new-made  grave,  and  in  one  short  hour  would 
again  join  in  the  march. 


M 

'.  -■   It 


i,'t 


I 


846 


AOiliDIA 


The  route  talien  by  the  refugees  could  be  followed  by  the 
newly-covcrcd  iiioand',  ftiul  the  carcasses  of  the  cattle  and 
horses  that  were  continudUy  giving  out,  and  were  left  to 
thoir  fate.  It  seerned  aa  though  the  wild  beasts  for  uiilos 
anund  hud  formed  themse.ves  into  a  renr  dciaohineni:  and 
the  nights  were  made  hideous  with  their  bowlings  as  they 
qr.aireled  and  fought  over  the  remains  of  some  poor  cow  or 
faithful  hors«  that  could  ^-o  no  I'a. Iher.  The  tierce  animals 
became  so  bold  that  they  f;ven  menaced  the  camps;  no  one 
dare  stir  out  alone  after  nightfiiU,  outside  the  light  of  their 
fires,  for  fear  of  being  devoured.  "What  rendered  their  sit- 
uation still  more  helpless,  they  had  no  weapons  for  defense, 
their  guns  having  been  taken  from  thorn  some  time  before, 
by  order  of  the  English  Governor. 

In  the  midst  of  these  diiTl'-idties,  pursued  by  wild  beasts 
and  their  still  more  'mplacable  human  foes,  this  hand  of 
refugees  at  length  succeeded  in  reaching  the  vicinity  of  these 
lakes.  At  that  Jime  a  powerful  band  of  Micmac  Indians 
Had  put  up  their  wigwams  in  this  grove,  who,  taking  the 
fleeing  Acadians  under  their  protection,  sent  out  a  body  of 
warriors  and  intercepted  a  detachment  of  English  soldiers 
that  had  penetrated  to  within  a  short  distanrse  of  this  spot. 

The  French  refugees,  believing  themselves  safe  from  fur- 
ther pursuit,  commenced  a  settlement,  the  remains  of  which 
I  had  accidentally  discovered  the  day  before.  By  the  help 
of  the  Indians,  temporary  log  huts  were  erected ;  a  supply 
of  tlsh  was  caught  and  dried  for  winter  use ;  corn  was  fur- 
nished by  the  Indians  and  game  supplied  the  balance  of  the 
food.  Later,  some  of  the  young  men  visited  Annapolis 
Royal,  where  they  had  the  good  fortune  to  secure  a  quanti- 
ty of  gruiu  and  flax  that  had  escaped  the  general  destruc- 
tion, jiud  safely  drove  back  a  few  head  of  cattle.  By  de- 
grees liiey  made  themselves  comfortabie  houses ;  the  next 
Beason  they  net  uut  apple  orchards,  currant  bushes  and  oth- 
er fruits:  gradually  cleai'ing  away  the  forest,  iu  the  course 


LF0BND8 


847 


of  a  fow  jears  their  couilitiou  was  made  tolerable — at  any 
rate  tbey  were  free. 

Amonjy  this  community  was  a  beautiful  girl,  who.  agree- 
ably to  the  custom  of  the  Acadiars,  had  been  early  betrothed 
to  the  youth  of  her  choice.  Their  nuptials  were  to  be  cel- 
ebrated at  the  next  festival  of  St.  Anne.  In  Iho  exci'.ement 
of  their  hasty  departure,  the  absence  of  her  lover  was  not 
noticed ;  it  was  not  known  whether  he  was  killed  or  ban- 
ished, or  was  with  some  other  company  of  refugees. 

Rachel  did  not  take  to  her  loss  kindly ;  she  brooded  over 
his  absence ;  her  cheek  became  pale,  and  her  step  less  buoy- 
ant. In  her  grief  she  would  not  listen  to  the  words  of  love 
from  other  young  men, — her  Joseph  was  uppermost  in  her 
thoughts. 

It  chanced  that  a  young  Indian  brave,  noticing  the  maid 
bad  no  lover,  sought  her  to  grai-e  his  own  wigwam.  The 
young  Indian's  father  was  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  he  had 
proved  himself  the  friend  of  the  white  people.  This  chief 
espoused  the  suit  of  his  son. 

"The  white  squaw  has  no  love  among  the  pale  faces," 
argued  the  dusky  chieftain,  "let  her  keep  the  wigwam  of 
one  of  my  braves." 

The  maid  was  inexoi'ablo ;  white  and  red  lovers  were  alik« 
spurned  from  her.  She  seemed  to  cling  to  the  hope  that 
her  afSauced  would  vet  seek  her  out.  At  length  the  chief  as- 
sumed  a  haughty  mien.  Had  not  her  people  often  received 
favors  at  his  hands,  and  were  they  not  in  his  power? 

This  appeal  touched  the  girl  on  a  tender  chord.  What 
was  life  to  her  now  ?  Yes,  she  would  be  the  bride  of  the 
young  brave;  she  would  yield  herself  a  sacrifice  for  her 
people. 

Great  were  the  preparations  for  the  nuptials — worthy  the 
marriage  of  a  prince,  and  heir  to  the  kiugly  sceptre.  The 
young  brave  had  embraced  the  Catnoiic  belief,  and  hud  re- 
ceived the  rite  of  baptism ;  the  ceremony  was  to  be  solemnized 


348 


ACAOrA 


Mi^ 


■(   I 


1 


1  • 


:t   ; 


in  uccordiiiifie  with  that  fuilh.  The  little  chapel  bad  beeu 
decoiatccl  tixpjessly  lor  the  uccasiou,  auJ  the  good  Father, 
anaved  in  gown  and  maniple,  was  engaged  iu  hia  prepara- 
toi'y  devotions  in  the  chancel.  Just  outside  the  door,  by 
tlie  light  of  a  huge  boiilhv,  a  party  of  young  men  and  iii;iiv.l- 
enb,  the  young  friends  of  Racbei,  were  dancing  on  thegietn. 
A  liltle  beyond,  another  tire  had  been  kindled,  and  about 
this  the  young  Indian  warriors  were  celebrating  their*  wed- 
ding feast.  Grotesque  aiid  wild  were  the  scenes  there 
tranypiring, — gross  paganism,  untutored  superstition,  and 
the  solemn  forms  of  religious  rites,  interniitigled  ! 

Just  then  a  stranger  entered  Raoaei's  cottage,  and  asked 
to  see  her  alone.  They  were  no  sooner  together  than  the 
visitor  threw  otT  his  disguiise,  and  the  maiden  was  clasped 
iu  the  arms  of  her  loug-absent  lover.  A  few  words  sufficed 
to  tell  his  story. 

He  had  been  taken  by  the  Kew  England  forces,  and, 
with  two  bundled  other  captives,  contined  on  board  a  ves- 
sel of  little  more  than  sixty  tons  burden.  They  wore  kept 
ill  the  close  hold,  only  a  few  being  allowed  on  deck  at  one 
time,  for  fear  they  might  attempt  to  take  the  vtssel  from 
their  captors.  With  no  other  food  thaii  a  small  allowance  of 
flour  and  pork,  they  endured  a  three-month's  voyage  to  the 
city  of  Philadtlphia.  Then'  physical  suffeiijigs,  great  aa 
they  were  in  tliyu"  crowded  state,  were  not  to  be  conjpared 
with  the  mental  anguish  at  being  separated  from  friends,  it 
having  plca;std  the  English  conquerors,  for  some  unex- 
plained cause,  to  add  the  breaking  of  family  ties  to  the  hor- 
rors of  this  forced  extirpation.  One  mother  on  board  had 
but  one  of  her  four  children  with  her.  Of  the  fate  of  the 
other  three,  or  of  the  subsequent  fortunes  of  the  husband 
and  father,  sho  never  afterward  had  the  shghtest  trace.— 
And  yet  heis  wiis  but  the  common  e-Kperience. 

Many  of  the  siiti'erers  died  on  the  passage.  The  clothing 
of  the  survivors  l)ecame  so  worn  a    scarcely  to  cover  them 


LEGENDS 


849 


An  epidemic,  too,  broke  out  ou  shipboard,  just  before  reach- 
in{;-  port;  but  such  was  the  horror  of  the  authorities  (here 
ayaii.st  the  Papists,  that  it  was  severul  days  before  they 
ueie  permitted  to  remove  from  the  infected  atmosphere  of 
the  ship. 

At  Piiiladplphia,  Joseph  had  found  opportunity  to  join 
a  number  of  his  countrymen  in  some  open  boats,  in  wliich 
t\m\  proposed  to  return  to  their  n:»tive  land.  At  Bofitou 
thoy  were  stopped  by  the  patri  >a'3  Governor,  and  their 
bouts  destroyed.  From  tiience  he  had  traveled  on  foot  and 
in  <  anoes  through  the  forests  of  Maine  and  New  Urunswick, 
uiitil  he  reached  the  vicinity  of  his  former  homti.  In  alibis 
wauduringb  his  purpose  liud  been  to  tind  tidings  of  llachel, 
but  he  had  soagiit  in  vain.  After  he  had  nearly  given  up  all 
hope,  he  heard  of  this  settlenjent  in  the  luountuins,  and  had 
ariived  just  as  the  object  of  his  fondest  tiU'ections  was  about 
throwing  herself  away  ou  a  savage!  But,  now  that  he  had  re- 
turned, nothing  i^iiould  again  part  them. 

Calling  the  famijy  togtsLuer  the  situation  was  made  known. 
The  Inditin  brave  would  not  voluntarily  give  up  his  b»  ide, 
and  they  knew  the  haughty  chief  would  treat  such  a  proposal 
as  a  disgrace  to  his  tribe,  and  deserving  of  his  vengeance. 
Their  only  plan  was  to  tly.  Their  chance  of  escape  was 
small  indeed,  but  ^hey  would  rather  die  than  be  separated. 

Their  prepx"  tions  were  soon  made,  and  silently  and  se- 
cretly the^  lied  j  ito  the  dark  forest,  and  reached  th'ur  ca- 
noe mo  jreJ  at  the  little  cove  at  our  feet.  In  tli«r!  meantime, 
the  ceit/uoni?iIs  had  reached  the  point  at  which  the  bride 
was  to  come  forth,  and  live  young  gills,  dressed  m  white, 
witli  garlands  about  their  heads,  came  ,o  condu;:t  Unchel  to 
the  cUapel.  The  ftitiu'r  by  isundry  pretexts,  delayed  the 
proceedings  until  the  suspicions  and  anger  of  the  old  chief 
was  aitiused,  when  threats  ot  instant  vengeanct.  drew  from 
the  II.  .'in',-,(-i.i  father  the  fuit  tliat  she  had  Acd  with  hur  lor- 
uier  lover. 


850 


ACiDTA 


Such  a  mark  of  ignominy  as  this  to  be  cast  on  his  son — 
the  son  of  a  proud  Indian  chief — was  not  to  be  borne.  The 
order  for  iiuinediate  pursuit  is  given ;  the  festivities  cease, 
and  dusky  warriors  are  threading  the  forest  in  every  direc- 
tion for  the  fugitives.  Certain  death,  and  possibly  worse 
torture,  will  follow  their  capture. 

A  wild  shout  announced  the  lovers  had  been  discovered. 
The  hearts  of  the  parents  sank  as  these  sounds  resounded 
through  the  moonlit  forest ;  the  anguish  of  the  mother  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  moments,  while  the  issue  of  the  pursuit 
was  unknown,  and  the  wild  uproar  rose  and  sank  on  the 
niglit  fiir,  wuh  intense,  defying  description. 

Jose[)h  and  Uacliel  were  far  out.  on  the  lake.  The  girl 
was  quick  witU  the  paddle,  and  their  canoe  was  rapidly 
speeding  to  the  opposite  shore.  A  sense  of  their  situation 
lent  supernatural  strength  to  their  anus,  and  they  plied  their 
Oftra  as  only  those  can  wno  race  for  life. 

The  canoes  of  the  ravages  were  already  in  the  water,  and 
a  score  of  brawny  forma  were  urging  them  forward  in  close 
pursuit,  while  tlie  lake  efhoed  with  territic  yells. 

For  awhilp,  the  lovers  managed  to  elude  their  pursuers, 
and  successfully  bafilt^d  every  attempt  at  capture.  Th<  ir 
strength,  now,  was  beginning  to  flag  under  the  intense  and 
long  continued  strain.  Gradually  they  had  been  utaring 
tL  J  outlet  of  the  lake ;  the  lovers  thouglit  if  they  could  but 
reach  the  shadow  of  yonder  island,  they  might  make  good 
their  escape  ;lown  thu  river.  They  sn-m  camo  into  the  in- 
fluence of  tlie  current  of  the  stream,  and  had  tlie  satJsi>ie- 
tion  of  perceiving  their  boat  was  being  impelled  rapidly  for- 
waril.  as  they  hoped,  to  a  place  of  safety. 

A  loud  sliout  Hunouncfeii  they  had  bt.'n  discoveied  ;  and 
the  eanoes  oi'  the  savages  poured  intc)  the  nvt",  and  were 
gaining  so  faht  on  liio  lUj^itives  that  the  foremodt  was  nearly 
up  to  their  boat.  Twue  ha.l  Joseph  picked  up  his  gun  Lo 
buoot,  but  Rachel  remonsti  ated  by  telling  him  it  would  on- 


LXaSNPS 


351 


ly  mate  their  condition  worne  in  case  thry  were  aftevwavda 
overtaken ;  and  iu  any  event,  the  savages  would  be  certain 
to  visit  retribution  on  her  pnvonts. 

The  lovers  now  yave  up  all  hope.  They  threw  down  their 
paddles,  and,  falling  into  each  otiier's  anus,  a  lowed  their 
canoe  to  drift.  They  noted  not  the  8j)eed  at  which  they 
were  going,  an*-!  were  in  momentary  expectation  of  being 
overtaken.  It  Vyas  not  until  eon'O  moujents  had  elapsed  that 
they  became  a>;are  the  savages  had  stopped  pui'snit. — 
The  intensity  of  their  emotions  had  prevented  their  divin- 
ing the  cause  unt;l  a  turn  in  the  river  brought  the  roar  ol 
the  falls  full  upon  their  ears. 

Under  other  circumstances,  the  sound  would  have  terrified 
them :  as  it  was  they  looked  upon  death  in  this  form  as  a 
providential  interposition.  Sliould  they  try  to  avoid  going 
over  the  falls,  as  they  might  still  do,  it  would  only.jnohnig 
their  iives  to  give  the  angry  savages  a  chance  to  put  tiiera 
to  death  by  slow  rortui-e.  "Let  nio  but  die  iu  your  arms," 
said  the  maid,  "and  I  am  content."  Not  a  paddle  was  lift- 
ed to  avert  the  dange)-.  "  May  the  Lord  bless  father,  and 
mother,  and  little  sister  Maud,"  were  the  last  words  she  ut- 
tered. Locked  in  a  last  embrace,  they  drew  near  the  fatal 
brink — took  their  last  look  of  earth — and  the  boat,  with  the 
lover  and  maid,  disappoaied  from  sight  forever ! 

At  each  anniversary  of  the  event,  at  a  certain  hour  of  the 
night,  two  ghostly  forms  come  to  this  little  cove,  launch 
their  canoe  and  paddle  into  the  lake.  Their  actions  indi- 
cate  great  haste  and  anxietv ;  their  canoe  flouts  awhile 
among  the  islands  and  passes  into  the  river.  Aa  they  ii<-ar 
the  rapids  they  drop  their  paddles,  embrace  each  other,  and 
disHppeai'  over  the  brink.  This  is  done  three  nights  in  suc- 
cession ;  tiien  they  are  allowed  a  period  of  repose. 

"Pierre,"  said  I.  after  this  nmration,  "I  pro^'ose  to  lie  in 
wait  to-morrow  night,  and  if  this  lover  and  his  maid  pay  us 
uuo.l.c.  \ibit,  1  am  gomg  to  ace  whether  thiy  are   of  real 


till 


85i' 


ACATiTA 


flesh  and  blood,  or  whether  it's  only  a  fancy  of  our  brains." 
Then,  having  piled  a  fresh  quantity  of  fuel  on  the  fire,  we 
once  inore  rolled  our  blankets  about  us  and  fell  asleep. 

It  was  about  tlie  bewitching  hour  of  twelve  of  the  night 
following,  that  Pierre  and  I  took  our  places  in  our  skiff, 
and  naoored  it  at  the  foot  of  the  little  cove  where  our  strange- 
visitors  were  to  embark^  leaving  the  dog.  Carlo,  to  look  af- 
ter the  camp.  "This  is  a  strange  vigil  we  are  keeping,"  I 
remarked,  "  watching  for  the  spirits  of  the  departed  to  re- 
visit the  earth !  Here  we've  been  waiting  a  full  hour,  and  I 
think  they  intend  to  disappoint  us.  What's  the  matter^ 
Carlo,  what  do  you  see  ?  " 

The  dog  Imd  again  set  up  his  moaning  as  on  the  previous 
night,  and  his  eyes  seemed  immovably  fixed  on  the  cove  be- 
fore us.  Thou<:;h  we  could  see  nothing  unusual,  the  supe- 
rior instincts  of  the  dog  enabled  him  to  perceive  that  some- 
thing out  of  the  common  order  was  prowling  about  our 
camp.     A  quick  exclamation  from  the  guide  startled  me. 

There,  not  twentj'  feet  away,  two  figures  were  in  the  act 
of  launching  a  canoe.  They  exhibited  the  same  undue  haste 
as  on  the  night  before;  seating  themselves,  they  dipped 
their  paddles  into  the  water,  and  before  we  had  recovered 
from  our  surprise,  they  were  several  yards  into  the  lake. 

"Pierre,"  I  exclaimed,  "let's  overtake  them,  or  smash  an 
oar," — and  we  bent  to  our  work.  Now  gliding  under  the 
shadow  of  a  wooded  island,  then  darting  across  an  open 
channel;  now  close  at  hand,  and  the  next  moment  rods 
away, — spod  the  phantom  boat  s.::J.  its  ghostly  crew.  Our 
light  skiff  fairly  quivered  with  the  powerful  strokes  of  our 
oars,  given  with  the  impulse  that  strong  excitement  lout  us. 
After  a  half  hour's  hartl  pulling,  we  were  fain  to  admit  we 
were  losers  in  the  race,  and  very  soon  we  lost  sight  oi'  them 
altogether.  AVe  were  on  the  point  of  retuiniui^-  to  <amp, 
whei:  11:o  ;;uii^l(',  poiutuig  iu  the  direction  of  the  outlet  of 
the  lake,  exclaimed — 


LE6END8 


859 


II 


"  Tlipre  they  are,  in  the  river ! " 

"Give  way!  Pierre,"  I  fairly  yelled,  "give  way!  We'll  see 
whether  real  bone  and  sinew  is  not  a  match  for  anything 
t'oat  floats  in  these  waters;"  and  sure  enough,  a  few  rapid 
strokes  with  all  the  force  we  could  exert,  brought  us  close 
to  the  strangers.  I  had  dropped  my  paddle,  and,  turning 
partly  around  in  my  seat,  was  preparing  to  clutch  at  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  cauoe,  when  my  arm  was  arrested  by  a  cry  oi 
t-nror  from  the  guide. 

So  intent  had  we  been  on  the  pursuit,  that  neither  had 
noticed  our  proximity  to  the  falls,  until  we  were  already 
being  urged  forward  by  that  powerful  suction  that  sweeps 
everything  over  the  brink.  Pierre  had  discovered  this,  and 
though  he  said  not  an  intelligible  word,  I  comprehended 
the  meaning  of  his  cry.  I  instantly  grasped  my  oar ;  the 
next  moment  we  weie  doing  our  utmost  to  force  the  boat 
out  of  the  channel  toward  the  shore.  Life  and  death  were 
in  the  balance,  and  for  a  time,  we  neither  gained  nor  lost  in 
our  battle  with  tlio  ruthless  current.  If  oar  and  row-lock 
were  taxed  before,  it  was  nothing  to  the  fight  wo  then  made 
for  life.  At  last  it  was  evident  we  had  discovered  our  dan- 
ger too  late. 

"It's  no  use!"  exclaimed  my  companion,  and  his  tones 
showed  that  he  fully  realized  the  danger  we  were  in,  "we've 
got  to  go  over  them  falls ! " 

The  roar  of  th',  cataract  became  momentarily  more  dis- 
tinct, and  trees  and  other  objects  on  shore  were  dart  uir  by 
with  incredible  swiftness.  Our  faces  cut  tho  spiay  an  with 
a  knife,  while  the  lapid  motion  of  the  boi.ing  current  was 
fast  becoming  more  and  more  perceptible.  Nearer  and 
nearer  we  diew  to  the  brink;  I  felt  that  Pierre  was  guid- 
ing the  boat  to  where  the  water  was  siuootht-st — ev«n  at  that 
moment  not  resignini;  all  hop-' ;  next  I  saw  the  yawnmg 
abyss  below  luu;  tli.u  came  a  >t.nse  of  falUng,  down,  dc  wn— • 
and  then  I  lost  cooscioubue.^s. 


864 


ACADIA 


:,"! 


;■;!  J 


When  I  came  to  myself,  Pierre  was  bending  over  me.  He 
had  uiuiccuuntablv  gained  the  shore  at  the  bottom  of  the 
faliu,  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  strong  arm,  I  should  not 
this  winter  evening  have  been  writing  this  story.  We  sat 
down  on  the  nver  bank,  in  our  dripping  gavuieuts,  and  min- 
utes elapsed  before  eillier  said  a  word.  The  wildntss  of 
the  place,  the  dim  luooulight,  the  roar  of  the  fails,  and  the 
Well-nigh  fatal  ending  of  our  adventure,  for  a  time  overpow- 
ed  us.     I  first  broke  the  silence. 

"  i  wonder  if  any  person  ever  went  over  those  falls  before 
to-night,  and  came  out  alive  and  unhurt?" 

"  Mot  Uiat  I  ever  heaid  of,"  said  Pierre,  "and  all  the  world 
wouldn't  leuipt  me  to  go  through  with  that  again."  Then 
we  thioaaed  our  way  back  to  camp. 

"  Where's  the  dog,''  said  I,  as  we  came  within  the  circle 
of  light  thrown  out  by  the  exiUiiiig  canip-fire,  and  the  faith- 
ful animal  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  '•  I  never  knew  him  to 
desert  a  camp  before,  when  it  was  left  in  his  charge.  How, 
what's  this?  Uring  along  one  of  those  blaziijg  pine  knots, 
Pierre ! " 

There  lay  our  faithful  dog,  covered  in  blood,  and  his  flesh 
literally  torn  in  shreds.  He  was  yet  alive,  and  a  look  oi  In- 
tel.igeiit  recognition  beamed  from  his  eyes  as  we  bent  over 
him.  And  I  actually  thought  the  noble  animal  tried  to  tell 
us  what  had  happened  to  him  while  we  were  absent.  He 
expii  ed  shortly  in  great  ugun j  ;  and  his  death  caused  a  pang 
in  our  hearts,  akin  to  thaL  oima:  experiences  at  the  loss  of  a 
brother. 

"  It's  a  loup-garou  that  did  tiiat.  T'ain't  none  of  your 
common  wild  varmints  :  come,  wf^  musu't  stay  hero  ! "'  And 
the  strong  man,  wiiose  l'at:e  never  blanched  in  his  repeated 
eucouiitcis  with  the  bear  and  the  panther,  trembied  with 
fear  as  lie  spoke.  "I  tell  you  we've  got  to  get  out  of  this," 
ai'.d  he  began  to  gather  up  our  traps.  I  peiceivei  it  wuuid 
be  ui  uu  ui»u  CO  uijjtct. 


L'^OENDS 


355 


"It  will  npver  do  to  Irave  Cnilo  nnbvrierl,"  snicl  I,  for  I 
could  not  Tree  my  mind  from  the  idra  tliat  I  was  somehow 
culpably  responsible  for  his  death.  ''  Carlo  nnet  his  death  at 
his  post  of  duty,  and  he  is  at  least  deserving  of  Christian 
buiial,  beyond  the  reach  of  those  hungry  panthers." 

We  soon  found  a  cleft  in  a  rock,  in  which  we  tenderly 
laid  the  body  of  our  faithful  hounil,  and  walled  uptheopen- 
ing  with  a  few  heavy  stones ;  then  hastily  pickujg  up  our 
camp-equipage — our  rifles  were  in  the  river  at  the  bottom 
of  the  fails — and  taking  each  a  brand  from  the  camp-tire,  we 
bade  adieu  to  Spirit  Camp.  We  had  not  gone  many  yards, 
when  a  terrilic  cry  broke  upon  the  night.  Looking  over 
tmr  shoulders  towards  our  late  camp,  from  which  direction 
the  sound  seemed  to  come,  we  saw  a  strange  light  among 
the  trees,  which  I  attributed  to  a  reviving  of  tlie  embers  of 
our  tire.     But  Pierre  accounted  for  it  diffireiitly. 

"  There's  tho  loups-gavous,  coming  together  at  our  camp. 
It's  lucky  for  us  we  got  away  when  we  did .  " 


B 


■ill 


POPULAR  BELIEFS. 


It  was  on  one  of  those  fine  northern  Acadian  twilights 
in  the  raonth  of  June — St.  John  s  Eve,  by  the  calendar — that 
Pierre  and  I  were  strolling  by  the  river  bank,  inhaling  the 
fragrance  that  was  borne  up  from  the  apple  trees  in  full 
bloom,  and  enjoying  the  cooling  sea  breeze  that  was  blow* 
ing  off  the  bay. 

"  What  are  those  bonfires  that  I  see,  Pierre,  at  various 
points  along  the  river  ?  " 

"Those  are  St.  John's  Eve  fires,"  answered  the  guide. 

Upon  further  enquiry  in  relation  to  the  fires,  I  learnfd 
that  they  pertained  to  a  custom  formerly  prevalent  here,  but 
which  is  fast  dying  out.  The  people  build  a  pile  of  fragrant 
boughs  outside  the  church,  and  as  darkness  sets  in,  the 
priest  appears,  recites  the  prayers,  blesses  the  wood,  and 
gets  it  on  fire  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation.  Tlie 
lesser  ones  were  signal  tires,  by  which  neighbors,  living 
miles  apart,  report  to  each  other.  If  all  is  well,  a  bright 
fire  is  lighted  and  kept  burning;  if  sickness  has  visited  ti)e 
fan)il3%  the  fire  flickers  and  dies  out;  if  death,  then  the  pile 
suddenly  bursts  into  flame,  and  is  as  suddenly  extinguished. 
For  some  time  we  watched  the  fires — some  burning  bright- 
ly, others  slowly  expiring,  or  quickly  disappearing — and 
pictured  to  our  imagination  the  varied  experiences  of  joy 
and  sorrow  portrayed  by  this  singularly  impressive  "fire- 
lauguage." 


LEGENDS 


857 


i 


The  sojoarner  among  these  remote  French  hninlets  will 
OQ'  et  with  tlie  same  inanuers,  (.'ustoins  and  modes  of  dress 
tlifit  prevailed  among  their  ancestors  a  hundred  years  a^^o. 
Tiic'ir  devotedness  to  the  forms  of  worship  of  their  fore- 
fathers, and  tht'ii  tirm  faith  in  the  miraculous  events  as- 
cribed to  the  intercession  of  their  jjatron  saints,  are  among 
the  most  distinctive  traits  of  the  Acadian  descondnnis:  iu 
sliort,  the  religious  fervor  of  the  French  habitant  has  ever  been 
a  nttonal  cliaraiteristic.  On  April  11, 1782,  says  the  chron- 
icle, darkness  prevailed  on  the  Saguenay  lliv(  r,  the  heavi-na 
mourning  for  the  death  of  a  Jesuit,  Father  Jean  iJaptisle 
Labrosse,  wlio  died  at  Tadoiisac  on  that  day.  Father  La- 
broshe  was  a  native  of  Poitou.  He  arrived  at  Quebec  in 
1754,  and  tor  neaily  Ihiity  years  preached  the  gospel  to 
while  men  and  Indians  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and  down 
in  the  wiJds  ot  Acadia.  On  the  night  of  his  death  he  was 
at  the  house  of  an  cflicer  of  the  trading-post  at  Tadousac, 
and,  although  nearly  teventy  years  old,  appeared  to  be  as 
strong  and  hearty  as  a  man  of  forty.  He  was  tall  and  robust, 
and  his  long  white  hair  and  saintly  face  made  him  look  ev- 
ery inch  an  apostle.  At  nine  k  m.  he  rose,  and  in  solemn 
tones  told  his  triends  that  the  hour  of  his  death  was  at  hand. 
At  midnight  he  should  die,  and  the  church  bell  at  Tadousac 
would  announce  the  news  to  his  Indian  children,  who  were 
camped  there  tor  the  spring  traile  in  peltries  and  to  all  the 
Gulf.  He  bade  lae  company  tarewell,  charging  them,  as 
he  left  the  house,  to  go  to  lie  aux-Coudres  and  bring  Father 
Couipain,  the  cuie,  to  give  his  body  Christian  sepulture. 
The  party  sat  iu  silence,  listening  for  the  bells,  which  on 
the  stroke  of  midnight  began  to  toll.  The  viiJago  was 
aroused,  and  the  pcop.e  hurried  to  the  chapel,  and  there 
before  the  altar,  lay  the  old  Jesuit,  dead.  They  watched 
by  the  corpse  until  daylight,  when  the  post  officer  ordered 
four  men  to  take  a  canoe  and  go  to  Ile-aux-Coudies.  A 
fearful  storm  was  raging  iu  the  (iuif,  and  ice  lloea  almost 


858 


ACADIA 


I 


I'. 

HI 


n  w 


ti'  t 


Jii  1 


\h  f ; 


choked  the  wirle  expanse  of  water.  "Fear  not,**  said  the 
oflicer  to  the  liHhbriueu;  ** Father  Labrobue  will  pioteut 
you."  They  launched  the  canoe,  and  great  wu8  then*  sur- 
prise to  tind  that,  while  the  tempest  howled  and  the  waves 
and  the  ice  seethed  like  a  caldron  on  each  side  of  theru,  a 
ptacelul  channel  was  formed  by  some  invisible  hand  fur 
their  craft.  They  reached  Ile-aux-Coudres — over  sixty  mik'3 
as  the  crow  flies,  from  Tudousac — without  accident.  Fa- 
ther Cotnpaiu  was  standing  uii  the  cliti',  and,  as  they  ueared 
tiie  shore,  ho  ciied  out,  "Father  Labrosse  ib  dead,  and  you 
have  come  to  lake  me  to  Tadousac  to  bury  him !  "  How 
did  he  know  tiiist  The  night  previous  he  was  silting  uione 
in  his  house,  reading  his  breviary,  when  suddenly  the  bell 
in  the  chiirca  (dedicated  to  bt.  Louis)  begun  to  toll.  He 
ran  down  to  tne  church,  but  the  doors  were  locked,  and 
wnen  he  opened  them  he  found  no  one  withni,  and  stiil  the 
passing  beii  was  tolling.  As  he  approached  the  alia/,  fa- 
ther Compaia  heard  a  voice  saung,  "Father  Labrosse  is 
dead.  Tuis  be.l  announces  his  departure.  To-morrow  do 
thou  stand  ut  the  lower  end  of  the  island  and  await  the  ar- 
rival of  a  canoe  fiom  Tadousac.  BeLuru  with  it  and  give 
bim  bunal."  And  at  all  the  mission  posts  where  lather 
Labrosse  hud  preached — Chicoutimi,  i'lle  Verte,  Trois- 
Pistoles,  Himouski,  and  along  the  Baie-des-Chaleurs — the 
bells,  of  their  own  accord,  rang  out  the  death  of  the  old 
Jesuit  at  the  same  hour.  And  tor  many  a  year,  whenever 
the  Inuians  of  Saguenay  visited  Tadousac,  they  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  his  giave,  and  whispered  to  tne  dead  within 
tLruiigh  a  hole  m  the  slab  of  the  vault,  believing  that  he 
Would  lii.y  their  petitions  before  ftod. 

"irtirhups,'  said  Fierre,  alter  a  silence  of  some  minutes, 
"you  have  never  heard  of  the  strange  jights  of  the  livei', 
I,a  Jlagdclainel  You  won't  tind  a  sailor,  born  in  tiiese 
purtb,  vUio  wouid  be  caught  there  alone  at  night  for  all  the 
world.     There  aie  pale  blue  lights  and  green  lights  play- 


rEGENDS 


3:9 


ing  on  the  v/ater,  and  tLe  lunst  doleful  erica  are  heard  there, 
such  aa  .you  don't  cure  to  Lear  but  onie.  They  are  not 
like  the  lights  vou  see  here,  and  no  one  knows  what  thfiy 
tire,  but  are  supposed  to  l)e  thetroubh  d  Hpiiits  of  men  who 
have  been  diowned  among  the  rocks." 

The  folk  lore  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Giisj  e  coast  is  dis- 
iiiictive  in  its  feiitures.  The  phoK]:hoii:scent  j^luw  of  the 
water  is  attributed  to  supernatuiul  agency,  and  the  moan* 
ing  of  the  surf  among  the  hollow  (taverns  h*  Uh'.  base  of  the 
wa  wall,  is  thou{.'ht  to  be  the  voice  of  the  lumuerer,  con- 
demned to  cxjiiate  his  crime  on  the  very  spot  li  at  witnessed 
its  commission;  tor  it  is  well  known  that  the  (laspe  wreck- 
ers have  not  always  contented  themselves  witli  robbery  and 
pillage,  but  have  sometimes  sought  conceal nici it  by  making 
way  with  victims — convinced  that  the  tomb  records  no  se- 
crets. It  was  on  Ihese  shoies  that  Walker's  fleet  encoun- 
tered that  teriific  Auyust  gale.     St'j  s  the  ehronieie: 

On  the  30th  of  July,  1711,  Sir  Hovenden  Walker,  in 
command  of  a  foimidable  armada,  consisting  of  men-of-war 
and  trunt ports  cunyiiig  troops,  sailed  from  Naniasket  Roads 
for  Quebec,  lor  the  purpose  of  capturing  that  post,  and 
ttV(  nging  the  repul.se of  Sir  William  Phipps  in  IGOO.  Paradis, 
master  on  a  Rochelle  gunboat  that  had  been  ca)>tured  by  tlie 
British  frigate  Chester,  was  put  on  board  the  flagship,  Ed- 
gar, as  pilot,  for  he  knew  the  St.  Lawrence  we!!.  A  dense 
leg  settled  down  upon  the  fleet  after  it  left  Gasje  Jjay;  and 
at  t(ii  I'.  M.  on  August  '22d,  "  we  found  ourselves"  writes  Ad- 
ujiral  Walker,  in  his  Journal,  "  u])on  the  North  Shore, 
amongst  rocks  and  islands,  at  least  fifteen  lefl^^ues  farther 
than  the  log  yave,  vhen  the  whole  fleet  had  like  toiiavebeen 
lost.  But  by  God's  good  providence  ali  tlie  men-of-war, 
though  with  extreme  hazard  and  diflScnlty,  escaped.  Eight 
transports  were  cast  away,  and  almost  nine  Imiidied  men 
lost."  The  beach  of  Egg  Island  and  the  Labiadfir  shore 
hard  by  were  bUevvu  with  bodies.     Two  cumpuuieti ol  Guards 


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ACADTA 


who  had  fought  under  Marlborough  in  the  Low  Conntrietr, 
were  ideutilied  among  the  dead  by  their  scarlet  trappingSv 
Mother  Jucheieau,  in  the  Hotel  Dieu,  records  in  her  diary 
that  a  salvage  expedition,  fitted  out  at  Quebec,  found  two 
thousand  corpses  on  Egg  Island.  Some  said  the  French 
pilot  had  willfully  wrecked  the  fleet.  The  cler^iy  held  that 
it  was  the  work  of  the  Blessed  Vii'gin,  and  the  name  of  the 
church  of  Notre  Datue  de  la  Victoire  in  the  Lower  Town, 
where  Phipps's  repulse  was  annually  celebrated,  was  changed 
to  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires,  to  comujemorate  both  occa- 
sions. But  while  the  habitants  doubted  not  the  power  or 
the  beneticence  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  they  ascribed  the  im- 
mediate causation  of  the  wreck  to  Jean  Pierre  Laval.ee  of 
St.  Fransois.  When  it  became  known  at  Quebec  that  Queen 
Anne  was  fitting  out  the  expedition,  he  bade  the  people  bo 
of  good  heart.  When  the  news  of  the  disaster  reached  Que- 
bec, he  said  that  Sir  Hovendon  had  not  drained  his  cup  of 
bitterness;  and  sure  enough,  while  the  Admiral  was  on  his 
way  to  London  to  repoit  the  disaster,  the  Edgar,  seventy 
guub',  blew  up  at  Portsmouth,  and  all  ou  board,  470  souls, 
perished.  • 

"But  what  are  those  smaller  lights  I  see,  Pierre,  down  on 
the  ibland,  that  keep  moving  about  as  if  carried  in  the  hand ; 
are  they  the  torches  of  the  eel  fishers?" 

"No;  they  are  the  lamps  of  the  money  diggers,"  was  the 
reply. 

"Money  diggers!"  said  I,  "who  are  they?" 

"Why,  to  be  sure,  that's  a  i-ejular  business  in  these  parts," 
said  Pierre.  "  A  great  many  of  the  Neutrals  buried  their  spe- 
cie before  they  were  carried  off,  and  it's  not  an  unusual 
thing  to  find  buried  money.  Those  fellows  down  theie  are 
searching  for  some  of  Capt.  Kidd's  treasures,  which,  it  is 
said,  were  hid  somewhere  near  Dead  Man's  Cove.  The  place 
is  so  named,  because  Capt.  Kidd  killed  one  of  his  men  and 
buried  him  with  the  money  to  guard  it." 


IFGEXBS 


V 

1' 


'  " Wlmt,  a  dead  man  guarding  money! "  snid  I,  "what  good 
could  a  dead  man  do  towards  protecting  the  treasure,  please 
tell  me  ?" 

"Why,"  answered  he,  surprised  at  my  incredulity,  "I'll  te'l 
you  what  happened  one  night  over  at  the  foot  of  that  hill 
you  see  yonder.  Three  men  were  digging  for  a  pot  of 
Spanish  dollars,  that  a  fortune-teller  said  was  bu-ied  there. 
They  worked  like  beavers  for  three  nights,  when,  about  one 
o'clock  of  the  third  night,  their  shovels  struck  something 
they  found  to  be  the  lid  of  a  stone  crock.  They  lifted  up 
the  cover,  and  there,  sure  enough,  were  the  shining  pieces, 
filling  the  crook  clear  up  to  the  top.  The  night  was  eiear 
and  calm,  without  a  cloud  to  be  seen.  Wliile  they  were 
digging  a  little  deeper  so  as  to  take  out  crock  and  all,  the 
shovel  struck  a  human  skull.  And  such  a  flash  of  lightning 
and  peal  of  thunder  as  then  came  forth  they  never  saw  or 
heard  before.  The  wind,  too,  began  to  blow  a  hurrivaue, 
and  overset  their  lantern  and  blew  out  the  light,  at  the  same 
time  knocking  over  the  man  who  held  it.  This  so  scared 
them  that  they  took  to  their  heels.  On  coming  back  the 
next  morning,  they  could  see  where  the  crock  had  been  tak- 
en out,  but  saw  nothing  of  it  or  the  money.  That  crock 
was  put  there  by  pirates,  and  was  guarded  l>y  the  man  they 
killed  and  buiied  with  it,  and  he  made  it  lighten  and  thun- 
der to  keep  them  from  carrying  off  the  mone; ." 

"Is  there  no  way  to  exorcise  the  spiiit  of  the  watcher, 
BO  as  to  get  at  the  treasure?  "  enquired  I. 

"  Yes,  there  are  some  that  know  how,  or  at  least  pretend 
they  do.  They  say,  if  one  of  the  party  that's  digging  gets 
killed,  then  the  spell  is  broken ;  but  they  don't  often  try 
that  plan.  The  usual  way  is  for  the  company  to  take  with 
them  one  who  understands  how  to  manage  the  watcher  so 
as  to  get  at  lae  money." 

"But  you  say  they  often  do  find  money  buried  about 
here?" 


I"  i 


862 


▲CAOIA 


in 


,>. 


"Yes,  that  is  where  the  money  is  buried  alone.  We  often 
hear  of  Fionchman  coming  back  who  go  to  digging,  and 
nearly  always  find  money.  They  have  charts  and  mineral 
rods  with  theiu,  to  show  where  to  dig.  I've  heai'd  say  they 
sometimes  have  Spanish  needles,  but  I  never  saw  one.  The 
neeil'.es  are  much  better  than  the  rods,  for  they  tell  specie 
from  ore,  and  the  rods  do  not.  Some  years  ago  two  French- 
men came  to  my  father's  and  asked  to  stay  all  night.  We 
oflf  'red  them  a  nice  bed  in  the  house,  but  in  spite  of  all  we 
could  say  and  do,  they  would  sleep  in  the  barn.  The  next 
morning  early  we  went  out,  when  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of 
the  Frenchmen.  But  we  picked  up  two  Spanish  dollars 
that  they  dropp>^d  on  the  floor.  This  set  us  to  looking, 
and  we  found  Ihat  the  plate  over  the  great  doors  had  been 
hollowed  out,  and  a  board  uicely  fitted  as  a  cover ;  in  this 
hollow  the  money  had  been  secreted  for  years.  I  once  heard 
of  a  company  that  engaged  with  a  land-holder  on  Campo- 
bello  Island,  to  dig  for  buried  money,  agieeing  to  pay  him 
a  certain  part  of  all  tiie  money  they  found.  The  first  sum- 
mer they  worked  several  months  without  success;  the  next 
season  they  came  again,  and  again  went  away  empty-handed. 
Not  yet  discouraged,  they  went  to  work  again  the  third 
summer.  One  day  the  owner  thought  he  would  go  down 
to  where  they  were  digging,  and  was  surprised  to  find  no 
one  there.  They  had  all  deserted  the  place,  taking  their 
tools  with  them.  Upon  examination  he  discovex'ed  they  had 
found  the  money,  and  had  secretly  made  off  with  it  with- 
out paying  him  his  share." 

"  I  presume  you  have  numerous  instances  among  you,  of 
people  becoming  suddenly  rich,  who  have  luckily  hit  upon 
the  hiding  place  of  buried  treasure,"  said  I. 

"Yes,  but  they  oftener  get  rich  from  stripping  wrecks  af- 
ter a  storm ;  but  that's  a  business  that  can't  be  followed 
like  it  used  to  be.  That  house  you  see  beyond  those  trees, 
why.  its  owner  jjot  rich  iu  a  single  uight,  but  he  never  would 


LEOFKrS 


363 


say  how  he  came  bv  the  monoy.  I'll  wa';j€'r  I  wouMn't  take 
it  and  have  tiuit  mail's  ('onsoionco  to  ('uvry  with  me  as  long 
as  I  lived.  I've  a  mind  to  tell  you  the  story  of  a  sea  cap- 
tain who  made  lots  of  mon^y ;  ho  afterward  got  found  out 
and  had  to  leave  the  country.  It  has  nh-eady  been  in  prin*-, 
but  then  it's  none  the  worse  for  that.  It  is  one  of  the 
bloody  stories  of  Sable  Island,  about  which  eo  many  are 
told." 

Sable  Island,  rendered  memorable  by  reason  of  number- 
le;-'8  melancholy  shipwrecks,  lies  directly  in  the  track  of  ves- 
sels bonrd  to  or  from  Europe.  Lying  iow  in  the  water,  par- 
tially clad  with  bent  grass,  it  is  not  tat-iiy  distmguished  from 
the  deep  gieeu  of  the  surrounding  sea.  Its  surface  and 
contour  is  continually  uudergoiug  a  change,  from  the  com- 
bined actiou  of  wind  ui.d  w^uve: — the  spot  where  ctie  3rst 
superintendent  dwelt  is  liow  more  than  three  miles  in  the 
sea,  and  three  fatiioms  of  water  bveal:  upon  it.  Those  who 
have  not  personnlly  witnessed  the  c-fiect  oi  a  storm  upon  this 
lonely  isle  in  niid-occan,  can  form  no  r.dcquate  i  lea  of  its  hor- 
rors. The  rever 'oerated  thund'T  cf  the  sea  when  it.  strikes  this 
attenuated  line  of  sand,  on  a  front  of  thirty  miles,  is  truly 
appalling ;  and  the  vibration  of  the  island  under  its  mighty 
pressure,  seems  to  indicate  that  it  will  separate  and  oe  borne 
away  into  the  ocean. 

The  wh(5le  of  the  south  end  is  covered  with  timber,  which 
has  been  torn  from  wrecks  and  driven  on  shore  by  the  vio- 
lence of  the  sea.  At  the  two  extremities  are  dangerous  bars : 
the  northwest  bar  sixieen  miies  long  and  a  mile  and  a  half 
in  width,  over  the  whole  of  whicli  the  sea  breaks  in  bad 
weather ;  that  on  the  northeast  of  equal  width  and  twenty- 
eight  miles  long,  which,  in  storms,  forms  one  coutinuous  line 
of  breakers. 

Herds  of  wild  horses  roam  over  the  island,  a  few  of  which 
ai*e  taken  every  year  and  sent  to  Halifax.  Years  ago  it  sup- 
ported hundreds  of  wild  hogs — the  progeny,  no  doubt,  of 


rli 


'II 


364 


AOAOU 


Bwine  cast  ashore  from  some  wrecked  vessel ;  these  all  per- 
ished during  au  unusually  savere  winter.  It  has  not  been 
thought  advisable  to  renew  this  species  of  stock,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  not  only  have  human  bodies  formed  an  ai'ticle 
of  their  food,  but  many  living  persons,  weak  and  heJiubsa 
from  cold  and  exposure,  have  often  escaped  from  wrecks  on- 
ly to  be  devoured  alive  by  these  fierce  brutes. 

A  boat  ruus  once  a  year  between  the  island  and  Halifax, 
chartered  by  the  Canadian  government  to  carry  provisions 
and  stores  to  the  lighthouse  people  and  patrols,  and  bring 
away  people  who  may  have  been  wrecked  there  during  the 
previous  year.  As  many  as  three  hundved  people  have  been 
on  the  island  at  one  time — cast  upon  those  lonely  sands  by 
marine  disaster.  It  was  found  necessary  to  bring  into  requi- 
sition tne  strong  arm  of  the  government  to  protect  the 
wrecks  from  persons  who  went  there  for  the  purpose  of 
plundering ; — it  was  made  a  criminal  offense  with  a  penalty  of 
six  yeais'  imprisonment,  to  be  found  voiuntarily  residing  on 
the  island  without  a  license. 

"Should  any  one  be  visiting  the  island  now,  he  might 
first  discern,  at  a  few  miles  distance,  a  half-dozen  low  hum- 
mocks on  the  horizon.  On  his-  approach  these  gradually  re- 
solve themselves  into  bills  fringed  by  breakers,  next  the 
white  sea-beach  with  its  continued  sarf, — the  sand-hills,  part 
naked,  part  waving  in  grass  of  deep  sea  green,  unfold  them- 
selves,— while  here  and  there  along  the  wild  beach  lie  the 
ribs  of  unlucky  traders  half  buried  in  the  shifting  sand. — 
The  first  thing  the  visitor  does  is  to  mount  the  flagstaff 
and  scan  the  scene.  The  ocean  bounds  him  everywhere. 
On  the  foreground  the  outpost  men  are  seen  galloping  their 
rough  ponies  into  headquarters,  recalled  by  the  flag  flying 
over  his  head.  The  West-end  house  of  refuge,  with  bread 
and  matches,  firewood  and  kettle,  and  also  with  its  flag-staff, 
occupies  an  adjoining  hill.  Every  sandy  peak  or  grassy 
knoll  with  a  dead  man's  name  or  an  old  ship's  tradition: — 


LEOEKDS 


M 


sy 


Trott's  Cove,  Daker's  Hill,  French  Gardens, — traditiona- 
ry spot  where  the  poor  convicts  expiated  their  social  crimes— 
tue  iitt^e  burjing-ground  consecrated  to  the  repose  of  many 
a  sea-tossed  limb, — and  at  various  points  down  the  lake, 
otiier  lookout  stations,  each  with  its  house  of  refuge  and 
flag-staff,  complete  the  view." 

Some  less  than  a  century  ago,  this  lone  waif  of  the  ocean 
w«i3  much  resorted  to  by  fisiiermtn.  With  the  increase  of 
commerce  came  a  corresponding  increase  of  wrecks  ;  it  was 
at  this  period  that  the  cupidity  of  men  of  infamous  charac- 
ter was  excited,  and  numbers  of  pirates  and  wreckers  infest- 
ed the  island.  Few  who  survived  shipwreck  and  escaped  to 
its  inhospitable  shores,  ever  lived  to  bear  their  story  to  the 
luaiiiiaud.  Soon  dark  stories  were  being  circulated  of  hor- 
rible deeds  there  committed,  and  Sable  Island  became  an 
iii-cmened  name.  Many  an  adventurer  embaiked  on  a  clan- 
destine  voyage,  and  returned  not  long  after  to  exhibit  untold 
wealth.  Here,  secure  from  the  reach  of  the  law,  and  pro- 
tected by  the  very  elements  that  brought  the  unfortunate 
wrecks  into  their  power,  these  human  ghouls  plied  their 
calling  with  immense  success. 

Mai.y  years  ago  the  Amelia  Transport  was  wrecked  on 
these  shores.  The  vessel  conveyed  some  members  of  the 
to}  al  familj',  and  was  represented  as  having  on  board  con- 
siderable treasure.  The  talk  got  abroad  that  the  passen- 
geis  and  crew  fell  into  the  bands  of  pirates,  and  all  that  es- 
caped drowning  were  murdered.  Captain  Torrens  was  sent 
to  enquire  into  the  truth  of  the  reports,  and  he  too  suflfcred 
shipw;eck  on  the  coast,  escaping  with  only  a  part  of  his 
ciew.  W'hUe  looking  about  the  island  he  came  to  a  sbauty 
known  as  the  "smoky  hut."  His  dog  began  to  growl  and 
bark  as  though  he  saw  something  in  the  hut ;  on  looking 
wiihin,  he  beheld  a  lady  clad  in  white,  all  wet  and  dripping 
sm  if  she  bad  just  been  rolled  ashore  in  the  surf.  The  Cap- 
tain spoke  to  her :  she  answered  not  a  word  but  held  ujp 


iH 


ri 


!!  ; 


v 


366 


ACADIA 


:-rH 


J  \'i 


the  Weeding  stump  of  her  fore-finger.  He  ran  for  the  snr- 
geou's  cLest,  and  went  up  to  her  to  bind  up  her  wound ;  but 
she  supped  past  biui  a\id  ran  out  of  the  door,  the  Captaia 
fo. lowing  and  begging  her  to  stop.  She  kept  on  running 
until  she  came  to  a  hike  in  the  center  of  the  island,  when 
she  dove  head  foremost  into  it.  So  be  walked  slowly  back ; 
and  coming  near  the  hut,  he  saw  the  same  lady  again  with- 
in, holding  up  her  finger  as  before. 

Looking  awhile  at  her  pale,  wet  face,  the  Captain  thought 
he  recognized  her  features  as  one  whom  he  supposed  to  be 
drowned  on  the  Transport,  and  he  began  to  question  her. 

"Is  tijat  you.  Lady  Copelaiid?"  said  he.  The  lady  bowed 
*'  Yet;,"  and  then  held  up  her  finger. 

"And  tlie  pirates  murdered  you  to  get  that  ring!"  Once 
nioio  the  lady  bowed  "  Yes,"  again  holding  up  the  bleeding 
stuuip.  Then  tne  Captain  swore  he  would  hunt  the  vJlhiins 
out,  and  return  the  ring  to  her  family.  This  seemed  to 
pieuise  her,  for  she  smiled,  and  disappeared  into  the  lake  as 
belore. 

The  Captain  was  good  as  his  word.  He  tracked  one  of 
the  most  noted  pirates  down  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  made 
the  acquaintance  of  his  wife  and  family,  and  without  excit- 
ing any  suspicion  as  to  his  purpose,  learned  that  the  dia- 
mond ring  had  been  left  at  a  watchmaker's  shop  in  Pia'it'ax 
to  be  sold.  He  went  to  Halifax,  purchased  the  ring,  and 
sent  it  home  to  the  lady's  friends,  as  he  had  promised  to  do. 


APPENDIX. 


Messrs.  Apthorp  &  Haucock  to  Francis  Peirey,  Dr. 

To  hire  of  Sloop  Rauf^er,  inyself  master,  from 
20th  Augubt  1755  to  the  30th  January, 
17o6.  including  10  davs  for  his  return,  is 
5  months  10  days,  at  £48  10  8  p.  month.     £258  16  10 

Pilott  60s.  pr.  month.  Hi     0     (J 


274  IG  10 


To  cash  pd.  for  provisions  at  Maryland,  to  supply 
208  French  perhons,  after  tba  pi  o visions 
reed,  from  Mr.  Saul  were  ezpended  vizr. 


Flour    59     3     2     at  14s. 

£41 

16  8 

Bread    20     0  22     at  18s. 

18 

H  8 

Beef      12     1     9     at  20s. 

12 

6  3 

Pork        6     1  19    at  203. 

6 

8  4 

AVood      3  Cord      at  14s. 

2 

2  0 

pd.  Horse  hue  A:  expenses  to 

fro 

to  the 

Governor  when  sent  for 

4 

0  0 

Deduct  20  p.  cent 


84  16  11 
16  19    3 


67  17     8 

18    4    0 


To  the  passages  of  81  persons  more  than  the 
Complement,  of  2  to  ton  at  4s.  6d. 

Francis  Peibet.  £360  19    0 

[The  above  is  a  truthful  transcript  of  a  bill,  copied  from 
thu  Novii  Scotia  A)cbives,  which  nlate.s  to  the  trausporta- 
*.iou  of  the  Neutral  French  from  the  Province.     We  give  it 


itmTm 

m 


308 


AOAMA 


r 


In 

5 


m 


a  placp  here  as  it  seems  to  confirm  the  assertion  niaJp  by 
the  Nt!utraJ«<  that  they  were  crowded  lufo  cae  vessels  in  a 
criie)  and  barbaiouH  manner.  The  sloop,  Ranger,  asbiown 
in  the  bill,  had  on  board  208  persons,  which  svas  bl  .noie 
than  her  cumpleiueui  oi  2  persons  tu  a  ton.  Deducting  the 
81,  we  find  her  allotted  complement  to  be  127,  wh  ch  would 
make  the  Kanger  to  be  a  small  sloop  of  iittle  more  than 
bixtj'  tons  burden.  By  directions  of  Governor  Lawieucf, 
they  \\'ere  to  be  confined  in  the  holds  of  the  vessels,  lest 
they  should  seize  an  opportunity  to  overpower  the  crew. 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  measurement  of  vessek 
will  readily  understand  whether  the  dictates  of  humanity 
were  consulted  in  this  forced  embatkation  ol'  the  sufferers, 
or  whtther  the  fearful  morluiity,  wLiich  in  a  tew  weeks  re- 
duced their  numbers  to  one-half,  was  more  than  mij^ht 
have  been  expected.] 


l 


l! 


*i 


1 1 

1 

,  i; 

li 

PETITION  OF  TEE  NEUTRALS  TO  THE  KING  OF  GREAT   BRITAIN. 


I 


To  lis  most  expellert  Mnjestv,  King  of  G     •'  Britain,  &c.. 

The  liumblf  pftition  of  liis  snbjrcts,  tbc  'a'o  French  in- 
liabitatitf!  of  Neva  Scotia,  fornifr-y  sett^^d  on  the  Ba;  of 
Slii'tis.  and  rivers  Ihfieiinto  \)'lon£rinj/  o\v  re'^idir";;'  in  the 
pKninc*'  of  Pcnijsy'vania.  on  brliul;'  of  tlienis*  ivos  and  the 
resl  of  the  ]".te  inliabitai  tn  of  tlie  j-aid  bay,  .'ind  alao  of  those 
formeily  setl'ed  on  xhf^  River  -^f  Aina]^  lis  il'val,  whereso- 
ever dis]  er^ed.     ^fa}'  it  I'lent^e  yor.r  ?Jrjcsty, 

It  is  not  in  our  power  suffi'ientiy  to  trace  baclj  the  con- 
ditions upon  wliirh  our  anctstors  tirst  s(  tiled  in  Nova  Sco- 
tia, under  the  protection  of  your  ^lajesty's  pre.lecessors,  aa 
the  f^reatest  |uivt  of  our  elders  who  were  acquainted  with 
these  transactions  are  dead;  but  more  especially  because 
our  papers,  wiiich  contained  our  contracts,  records,  «&c., 
were,  by  violence,  tai^en  fi'oni  us  sou)e  time  before  the  uu- 
ha^  py  catastro];he  which  has  been  the  occasion  of  the  ca- 
lamities we  are  now  under  ;  but  we  always  understood-  the 
foundation  thereof  to  be  from  an  agieenuiit  Diade  between 
your  j\iajesty's  ccmnianders  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  our  fore- 
fatliers,  about  the  year  1713,  whereby  they  were  permitted 
to  remain  in  possession  of  their  laneis.  under  an  oath  of  ti- 
delitj'  to  tlio  13ritish  government,  with  tin  exemption  from 
beai  ing  arms,  and  the  allowance  of  the  tree  exercise  of  their 
reli'j  ion. 

It  is  a  matter  of  certainty,  (and  within  the  compass  of 
Boine  of  onr  memories.)  that  in  the  y<  ar  1730,  General  Phil- 
li[is,  the  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  did.  in  your  Majesty's 
nane,  contirm  unto  u:-.  and  all  the  muabitants  oi  the  whole 
extent  of  the  Bay  of  Minas  and  rivers  the reunto  belonging, 


i'l 


3'0 


ACADIA 


I 


it 

I  I 

!  ! 


the  fi'fie  atifl  entire  possession  of  those  lands  we  were  then 
possessed  of;  which  by  fi^iiints  from  the  former  French  gov- 
ernment, we  held  to  us  and  our  heirs  forever,  on  paying  the 
customary  qnit-rents,  &c.  And  on  condition  that  we  should 
behave  with  Cue  subnnssioii  and  fidelity  to  your  Majesty, 
agieeable  to  the  oa>h  which  was  then  administered  to  us, 
which  is  as  follows,  viz. : 

"We  sincerely  promise  and  swear,  by  the  faith  of  a  Chris- 
tian, that  we  shall  be  entirely  faithful,  and  will  truly  sub- 
mit ourselves  to  his  Majesty  King  Geoi'ge,  whom  we  ac- 
knowledge as  Sovereign  Lord  of  New  Scotland,  or  Acadia; 
so  God  help  us." 

And  at  tlie  same  time,  the  said  General  Phillips  did,  in 
like  manner,  promise  the  said  Frencli  inhabitants,  in  your 
Majesty's  name,  ''That  they  should  have  the  true  exercise  of 
their  religion,  and  be  exempted  from  bearing  arms,  and 
from  being  em]>loyed  in  war,  either  against  the  French  or 
Indians."  Undar  the  sanction  of  this  solemn  engagement 
we  held  our  lands,  made  further  purchases,  antiually  pay- 
ing our  quit-rents,  &c. ;  and  we  had  the  greatest  reason  to 
conclude,  that  your  3Iajesty  did  not  disapprove  of  the  above 
Bgreemeut:  and  that  our  conduct  continued,  during  a  long 
course  of  years,  to  be  such  as  recoaimended  us  to  your  gra- 
cious protectiou,  and  to  the  regard  of  the  Governor  of  New 
England,  appears  from  a  printed  declaration,  made  seven- 
teen years  alter  this  time,  by  his  Excellency  William  Shir- 
ley, Governor  of  New  England,  which  was  published  and 
dispersed  in  our  country,  some  originals  of  which  have  es- 
caped from  the  general  destruction  of  most  of  our  papers, 
part  of  which  is  as  follows : 

By  his  Majesty's  command, 

A  declarauon  of  William  Shirley,  Esq.,  Cap  tain- General 
and  Governor-in-Chief,  in  and  over  his  Majesty's  Province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,  &c. 

To  his  Majesty's  subjects,  the  French  inhabitants  of  No- 
va Scotia  :  Whereas,  upon  being  informed  that  a  report 
had  been  propagated  among  the  French  inhabitants  of  his 
Province  oi'  Nova  Scotia,  that  there  w  .s  an  intention  to  re- 
move them  from  their  settlements  in  that  Province,  I  did, 
by  my  declaration,  dated  16 ch  September,  1746,  signiVy  to 
them  that  the  same  was  groundless,  and  that  I  was,  on  the 
couirai'^',  ptjisuaued  that  His  Majesty  would  be  graciousiy 


ArPEVDTX 


871 


pleasrcl  to  extend  his  royal  protection,  to  all  such  of  them 
as  should  coutiuue  in  their  tideiity  and  allegiance  to  hiiu, 
and  in  no  wise  abet  or  hold  coriespond.'uce  with  the  ene- 
mies of  his  crown ;  and  therein  assured  them,  that  I  would 
make  a  favorable  represent.ation  of  their  state  and  circum- 
stances to  His  Majesty,  and  did  accordingly  transmit  a  rep- 
resentation thereof  to  be  laid  before  him,  and  have  there- 
upon received  his  royal  pleasure,  touching  his  aforesaid  sub- 
jects in  Nova  Scotia,  with  his  express  commands  to  signify 
the  same  to  them  in  his  name:  Now,  by  virtue  thereof,  and 
in  obedience  to  said  orders,  I  do  hereby  declare,  in  his  Maj- 
esty's name,  that  there  is  not  the  least  foundation  for  any 
apprehensions  of  his  Majesty's  intending  to  remove  them, 
the  said  inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia,  from  their  said  settle- 
ments and  habitations  within  the  said  Province;  but  that, 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  his  Majesty's  resolution  to  protect  and 
maintain  all  such  of  them  as  have  adhered  to  and  shall  con- 
tinue in  their  duty  and  allegiance  to  him,  in  the  quiet  and 
peaceable  possession  of  then-  respective  habitations  and  set- 
tlements, and  in  the  enjoyment  oi  their  rights  and  privileges 
as  his  subjects,  &c.,  &c. 

Dated  at  Boston,  Oct.  21st,  1747. 

And  this  is  further  coniirmed  by  a  letter,  dated  29th  of 
June  in  the  san^e  year,  wrote  to  our  deputies  by  Mr.  Mas- 
carene,  chief  commander  in  Novj,  Scotia,  which  refers  to 
Governor  Shirley's  tirst  deciaiaciou,  of  whicli  we  have  a 
copy,  legally  authenticated,  pai  t  of  which  is  as  follows,  viz.: 

"  As  to  the  fear  you  say  you  labor  under,  on  account  of 
being  threatened  to  be  made  to  evacuate  the  country,  you 
have  in  possession  his  Excellency  William  Shuley's  printed 
letter,  wneieby  you  may  be  maae  easy  in  that  respect:  yoa 
are  sensible  of  ttie  promise  I  have  made  to  you,  tue  eflccts 
of  which  you  have  already  felt,  that  I  wuula  piotect  you  so 
long  as,  by  your  good  conduct  and  tideiity  to  tiie  Crown  of 
Grtut  Britain,  you  would  enao^o  me  to  do  so,  which  prom- 
ise 1  do  again  repeat  to  you." 

Near  the  Lime  ot  the  publication  of  the  before- mentioned 
declaration,  it  was  requaed  tnat  our  deputies  should,  on  oe- 
haif  of  all  the  people,  renew  the  oatu  formerly  taiien  to 
General  Phillips,  whiru  was  dui\e  without  any  jiicntioa  of 
bcariug  arms — and  we  can  witli  tiutli  say,  tnat  we  aie  not 
sensible  of  ai  y  alteration  in  oiu-  ilispositiou  or  conduct,  siaca 


I 


ill! 


^ 


37^ 


ACADIA 


h; 


m^ 


]( 


that  time,  but  that  we  always  continued  to  retain  a  prratefnl 
regard  to  \ov.v  !\Tnjesty  and  your  government,  notwirhstand- 
incr  whicl),  we  liave  found  oarseives  suvroundod  with  diffi- 
culties unlaio'.vu  to  us  before.  Your  Majesty  determined 
to  foitify  our  Province  and  settle  Ha.ifax;  wiiicli  tlie  Fr.nich 
looking  upon  with  jealousy,  they  made  frequent  incur^i  ina 
throujrh  our  country,  in  order  to  annoy  that  settlement, 
whereby  wo  ca'ue  exposed  to  many  straits  and  hardships ; 
yet,  fi-ora  the  obligations  we  were  under,  from  the  oath  we 
Lad  taken,  we  were  never  under  any  doubt,  but  that  it  was 
our  indispensable  duty  and  interest,  to  remain  true  to  your 
povernrnf^nt  and  our  oath  of  fidelity,  hopui^  that  in  time 
tliosH  difficulties  would  be  removed,  and  we  shouJd  see  p„'ace 
and  tranqui]li:y  restored :  and  if,  from  the  change  of  affiiirs 
in  Nova  rfcotiu  j-our  Majesty  had  thought  it  not  consistent 
with  the  safety  of  your  said  Province,  to  iet  uj  remain  there 
upon  the  terras  promised  us  by  your  Governors,  in  your 
Majesty's  name,  we  should  doubtless  have  acquiesced  with 
any  other  reasonble  proposed  wuich  might  have  been  made 
to  us,  consistent  with  the  sa;ety  of  our  aged  parents,  and 
tender  wives  and  children :  and  we  are  persuaded,  if  that 
had  been  the  case,  wherever  we  had  retired,  we  snould  have 
held  ourselves  under  the  strongest  obligations  of  gratitude, 
from  a  thankful  remembrance  oi"  the  happiness  we  had  eu- 
joj'cd  under  j-our  Majesty's  adniiuistiatiou  and  gracious  pro- 
tection. About  the  same  timo  of  the  settlement  of  Halifax, 
General  Cornwallis,  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  did  require 
that  we  should  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  without  the  ex- 
emption before  allowed  us,  of  not  oearing  arais ;  'out  t.iis 
we  absolutely  refused,  as  being  an  inuiugemenfc  of  the  prin- 
cipal condition  upon  which  our  forefatuers  agreed  to  isettie 
under  the  British  government. 

And  we  acquainted  Governor  Cornwallis,  that  if  your 
Maje^tj'  was  not  willing  to  continue  that  exemption  to  us, 
we  desired  liberty  to  evacuate  the  country,  ptoposing  to 
settle  on  the  Island  of  St.  John,  [now  known  as  Prince  iiid- 
waru  Island,]  where  the  i<'reuch  Goveruaienc  was  wiiiiug  to 
let  us  have  laud;  wnich  proposal  ne  at  that  i.ime  reiusea  to 
consent  to,  but  to^d  us  ho  would  acquaint  your  Majesty 
therewith,  and  return  to  us  an  answer.  Uut  we  never  re- 
ceived an  answer,  nor  was  any  proposal  of  that  made  to  us 
UUbii  V\ti  \Vciu  muuc  piiibouel'a. 


APPENDIX 


873 


After  the  settlement  of  Halifax,  we  snflfered  many  abuses 
and  insults  from  jour  Majesty's  Meiuies,  more  especially 
from  the  ludiaiis  in  the  interest  of  the  Froucb,  by  whom 
our  cattlo  were  killed,  our  houses  pillaged,  and  many  of  us 
personal  y  abused  and  put  in  ff  ar  of  our  lives,  and  f,o:iie 
€veu  can  led  away  prisoners  towards  Canada,  f;ox'iy  on  ac- 
count of  our  resuiution  steadily  to  umintaiu  our  oath  of  fi- 
df-htj' to  the  English  Government:  piirticulavly  Ile.ie  Le 
Llunc  (our  public  notary),  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  luUiaus 
when  actuary  traveling  in  your  Mr.ji; sty's  soivife,  his  house 
pillaged,  and  himself  carried  to  the  I'reiich  fort,  f:om  wliouce 
he  did  u<jt  recover  his  liberty,  but  with  grtat  uiliicuHy,  af- 
ter fouryeais  ciiptivity. 

"We  were  likewise  obliged  to  comply  with  the  demand  of 
the  enemy,  made  for  provision,  caitlc,  &c.,  upon  pain  of 
military  execution,  v.hich  we  had  reason  to  believe  tne  Gov- 
ernment was  made  sensible  was  not  an  act  of  choice  on  our 
pan,  but  of  necessity,  as  those  in  authority  appealed  to 
take  in  good  part  the  lepresentations  we  aiwa;.  s  made  to 
tliein  alter  aij_)  thiug  of  that  nature  bad  hapuunt^d. 

Isolwithstanding  the  many  diifii  u.t  >  -s  we  thus  labored 
mitl-'r,  yet  we  dare  appeai  to  the  seveiai  (j  jvernura,  both  at 
Halifax  and  AnnapOiis  iioyai,  for  testimonies  of  our  OLiug 
always  ready  and  wil.ing  to  obey  their  orders,  and  give  ad 
the  assistance  in  our  power,  timer  iu  furnishing  provisions 
and  materia. ;s,  or  making  roads,  bunding  forts,  dii'.,  agree- 
able to  your  idajesty's  orders,  and  our  oach  of  hdelity,  wneu- 
soever  called  upon,  or  r<. quired  tuereunto. 

It  was  also  our  consiaut  care  to  give  notice  to  your  Maj- 
esty's commanders,  of  the  danger  tliey  from  time  to  time 
have  been  exposed  to  by  the  enemy's  troops,  ana  uad  the  in- 
teuigLiice  wo  gave  been  always  attended  to,  many  livus  mi^ht 
have  u.ea  bpa.ed,  particularly  in  the  unnuppy  affair  wiuca 
befell  xMajor  iS'obie  and  his  brotlier  at  Criaud  i-'ie;  wuen 
they,  with  great  numbers  of  their*  men,  were  cut  ott'  by  the 
enemy,  notwitiislanding  the  frequent  advices  wo  naU  given 
thtm  of  the  danger  tiiey  were  in ;  and  yet  we  liave  ueeu 
very  unjustly  accuseu,  as  parties  m  that  mussdcrc. 

And  although  we  have  been  thus  anxiously  cuiicerned,  to 
manifest  our  lidelity  in  these  several  respects,  yet  it  has  beeu 
taisejy  insinuated,  mai  it  l.ad  been  our  geueiai  practice  to 
ubet  uiid  support  ^  cUr  Jiiajcsty's  enemies;  but  we  tiust  that 


I 


374 


ACADIA 


your  Majesty  will  not  suffer  suspicions  and  accusations  to 
be  received  us  proofs  sr.tfiaeut  to  reduce  some  thousands  of 
iunoceut  peop.e,  from  the  most  happy  situation  to  a  state 
of  the  greatest  distress  and  misery !  No,  this  was  far  from 
our  thoughts;  we  esteemed  our  situation  so  happy  as  by 
no  means  to  desire  a  change.  We  have  always  desired,  and 
again  desire  that  we  may  be  permitted  to  answer  our  acciis- 
•ers  in  a  judicial  way.  In  the  meantime  permit  us,  Sir,  here 
eolemniy  to  dec.are,  that  these  accusations  are  utterly  false 
and  groiuidless,  so  fai-  as  they  concern  us  as  a  collective 
body  of  people.  It  hath  been  always  our  desire  to  live  as 
our  fathers  nave  done,  as  faithful  subjects  under  your  Maj- 
esty's royal  protection,  with  an  unieigued  resolution  to 
maintain  our  outh  of  lictelity  to  the  utmust  of  our  power. 
Yet  it  cannot  Le  exijected,  but  that  amongst  us,  as  well  as 
amongst  other  people,  there  have  been  some  weak  and  false- 
hearted peisoiiss,  susceptible  Oi  being  bribed,  by  the  enemy 
so  as  to  Ureak  the  oath  of  fidciity.  Twelve  oi  these  weie 
outlawed  in  Governor  Shirley's  proclamation  before  men- 
tioned; but  it  wiii  be  found  tnat  the  number  of  such  faise- 
hearted  men  amongst  us  were  very  few,  considering  our 
situation,  the  number  of  our  inhabitaiits,  and  how  we  siood 
circumstanced  in  several  respects;  and  it  may  easily  be 
made  appear,  that  it  was  the  constant  care  of  our  deputies 
to  prevent  and  put  a  scop  to  such  wicked  conduct,  when  it 
came  to  their  knowledge. 

We  understood  that  the  aid  granted  to  the  French  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Chignecto,  has  been  used  as  an  argument  to 
accelerate  our  ruin;  but  we  trust  that  your  .Uajesoy  will  not 
permit  the  innocent  to  be  involved  witU  the  guilty;  no  con- 
sequence can  be  justly  diawn,  that,  because  those  people 
yielded  to  the  threats  and  persuasions  of  tne  enemy,  >ve 
should  do  the  same.  They  were  situated  so  far  from  Hail- 
fax,  us  to  be  in  a  great  measure  out  of  the  protection  ox  tne 
liUgiish  Government,  which  was  not  our  case ;  we  were  sep- 
arated from  them  by  sixty  miles  of  uncultivated  .and,  and 
hud  no  other  connection  witn  them,  than  what  is  usuai  vviou 
neighuors  at  such  a  distance ;  and  we  can  truly  say,  we 
looKed  on  their  defection  from  your  Majesty's  interest  with 
git;at  pain  and  anxiety.  Nevertheless,  not  long  Deiore  our 
being  made  prisoners,  the  house  in  whicn  we  kept  our  cwu- 
tracts,  records,  deeds,  6ic.,  was  invested  with  au  aimed  loicej 


I  i- 


APPENDIX 


d"5 


and  all  our  papers  violently  cariied  away,  none  of  which 
have  to  this  day  been  returned  to  u>3,  whereby  we  nre  in  a 
great  measure  deprived  of  means  of  niakinio;  our  innocency 
and  justness  of  our  complaints  appear  in  their  true  li;.^ht. 

Upon  our  seiidinpr  a  remonstianoe  to  the  Governor  and 
Comicil,  of  the  violence  that  had  been  offered  us  by  the 
seizure  of  our  ptipers,  and  the  groundless  I'ears  the  Govei-n- 
merit  appeared  to  be  under  on  our  account,  by  their  taking 
away  our  arms,  no  answer  was  returned  to  us;  but  those 
who  had  signed  the  remonstrance,  and  some  time  after  six- 
ty more,  in  all  about  eighty  of  our  elders,  were  sunmioned 
to  appear  before  the  Governor  and  Council,  which  they  iin- 
lue^iiately  comiilied  with;  and  it  was  required  of  them  that 
they  should  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  without  the  exeiup- 
tioD,  which,  during  a  course  of  near  fifty  years,  had  been 
granted  to  us  and  to  our  fathers,  of  not  bbirg  obliged  to 
bear  arms,  and  which  was  the  principal  contlitiou  upon  which 
our  ancestors  agreed  to  remain  in  Nova  Scotia,  when  the 
rest  of  the  French  inhabitants  evacuated  the  country :  which, 
as  it  was  contrary  t<>  our  inclination  and  judgment,  we 
thought  ourselvt-s  engaged  in  duty  absolutely  to  refuse. 
Ntvertheless,  we  freely  offered,  and  would  gladly  have  re- 
newed, oiu'  oath  of  fidelity,  but  this  was  not  accepted  of, 
and  we  were  all  immediately  made  prisoners,  and  were  told 
by  the  Governor,  that  our  estates,  both  real  and  personal, 
were  forfeited  for  your  Majesty's  use.  As  to  those  who  re- 
mained at  heme,  tliey  were  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
Commanders  in  the  forts,  which,  we  showing  some  fear  to 
comply  with,  on  the  account  of  the  seizure  of  our  papers, 
and  miprisonment  of  so  many  of  our  elders,  we  had  the 
greatest  assurance  given  us,  that  there  was  no  other  design, 
but  to  make  us  rtnew  our  former  oath  of  fidelity:  yet  as 
soon  as  we  were  witiiin  the  fort,  the  same  judgment  was 
pasjsea  on  us,  as  had  been  passed  on  our  brethren  at  Haii- 
fax,  and  we  were  also  ujude  prisoners. 

Thus,  notwithstandmg  the  solemn  grants  made  to  our 
fathers  by  Gentral  Phillips,  and  the  declaration  made  by 
Governor  Sliirley  and  ^ir.  Mascarene,  in  your  Majesty's 
name,  thn^^  it  was  your  Majesty's  resolution  to  protect  and 
niuintain  all  such  of  us  as  should  continue  in  their  duty  and 
allegiance  to  your  Majeisty,  in  the  quiet  and  peaceable  jjos- 
Besbion  of  theu'  &ettlea.eui.s,  and  the  enjoj  meut  of  all  lueir 


\l 


:i 


o"b 


AOADIA 


H 


rights  and  nvivilepcs,  as  your  Majestv^g  siibjsctg;  wefourd 
ourselves  at  once  dopvivcl  of  om*  estf.res  and  liberties,  wicb- 
out  any  judicial  process,  or  even  without  any  accusers  ap- 
pearing against  us,  and  this  solely  g'rounded  on  mistaken 
jealousies  and  false  suspicions  that  wo  are  inclinable  to 
to  take  part  with  your  Majesty's  enemies.  But  we  agaia 
declare  that  that  accusation  is  groundless :  it  was  always 
our  fixed  resolution  to  maintain,  to  the  utmost  of  our  pow- 
er, the  oath  of  fidelity  which  we  had  taken,  n(jt  ouly  from  a 
sense  of  indispensable  diitv,  but  also  because  we  were  well 
satisfied  with  our  situation  under  your  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment and  protection,  and  did  not  think  it  could  be  bettered 
by  ;).ny  change  which  could  be  proposed  to  us.  It  has  a'sa 
been  l'als;>ly  insiuutted  that  we  held  the  opinion  that  we 
mi;^ht  be  absolved  from  our  oath  so  as  to  break  it  with  im- 
puiiity ;  but  this  we  likewise  solemnly  declare  to  bo  a  false 
accusation,  and  ..'iiich  we  plainly  evinced,  by  our  expofiiug 
ourselves  to  so  great  losses  and  sufferings,  rather  than  take 
the  oath  proposed  to  tlie  Governor-and  Council,  becaasfi  we 
apprthendttd  we  could  not  in  conscience  com;)ly  therewith. 

Ihus  we.  our  ancient  parents  and  grand  oarents,  (aien  of 
great  integrity  and  approved  fidelity  to  your  Majesty.)  and 
our  innocent  wives  and  children,  became  the  unliap]>y  vic- 
tims to  those  groundless  fears:  we  were  transported  iuto 
the  English  Colonies,  and  this  was  done  in  so  much  iiaste, 
and  with  so  little  regard  to  our  necessities  and  the  tender- 
est  ties  of  nature,  tiiat  from  the  most  social  enjoyments  and 
afiluent  civcuinstances,  many  found  themselves  destitute  of 
the  necessaries  of  life:  parents  were  sepaiutod  from  chil- 
dren, and  husOands  from  wives,  some  of  wiiom  have  not  to 
this  day  met  again;  and  we  were  so  crowded  in  the  trans- 
port vessels,  that  we  had  not  room  even  for  all  our  bodies 
to  lay  down  at  once,  and  cousequently  were  prevented  from 
carrying  with  us  proper  necessaries,  especially  for  the  sup- 
port and  comfort  of  the  aged  and  weak,  many  of  whom 
quickly  ended  their  misery  with  their  lives.  And  even  thosa 
aaiougst  us  who  had  sulijred  deeply  from  your  Majesty's 
enemies,  on  account  of  tlioir  attachment  to  your  Majesty's 
Governmeut,  were  equaiAy  involved  in  the  common  calami- 
ty, of  whicu  liei'e  Le  ijlanc,  the  notary  public  before  men- 
tioned, is  u  leiiiii; liable  instance.  He  was  seized,  confi:ied, 
and  broLigut  away  among  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  his 


;  I 


APPENDIX 


877 


famihj,  connhting  of  twenty  children,  and  about  one,  hun- 
dred and  ^t^/ty  grand  diildren,  icere  scat'' red  in.  different 
Colo77i(js,  so  that  he  ica.s  2>iit  on  shore  at  jVeio  York,  wich 
only  his  toi/e  and  ttco  youngest  children,  iu  an  infirm  Btate 
of  healtb,  troni  whence  be  jcuied  three  more  of  his  children 
at  Philadelphia,  where  he  died  without  any  more  notice  be- 
ing taken  of  him  than  any  of  us,  notwithstanding  his  many 
years'  labor  and  deep  sufferings  for  your  Majesty's  service. 

The  miseries  we  have  since  enduied  are  scarcf  sufficiently 
to  be  expressed,  being  reduced  for  a  livelihood  to  toil  and 
hard  labor  in  a  southern  clime,  so  disagreeable  to  our  con- 
stitutions, that  most  of  us  have  been  prevented,  by  sickness, 
from  procming  the  necessary  subsistf'nce  for  our  families; 
and  therefore  are  threatened  with  tiiat  vvuich  we  esteem  the 
greatest  aggravation  of  all  our  sufferings,  even  of  having 
our  children  forced  from  us,  and  bound  out  to  strangers, 
and  exposed  to  contagious  distempers  unknown  in  our  na- 
tive country. 

This,  compared  with  the  affluence  and  ease  we  enjoyed, 
shows  our  condition  to  be  extremely  wretched.  We  have 
already  seen  in  this  Provmce  of  Peniisjivania  two  hundred 
and  tifty  of  our  people,  which  is  more  than  half  the  number 
that  were  landea  here,  perisu  through  misery  and  various 
diseases.  In  this  great  distress  ana  misery,  we  have,  under 
God,  none  but  your  Jiajesiy  to  look  to  with  hopes  of  relief 
and  redress:  \ve  tliereiore  hereby  implore  jour  gracious 
protection,  and  request  you  may  be  pleased  to  let  the  jus- 
tice of  our  compiamts  be  truly  and  impartially  enquired  in- 
to, and  that  your  Majestj"  would  piease  to  grant  us  such 
relief,  as  m  your  justice  and  ciemeucy  yoa  will  think  our 
case  requires,  aud  we  shall  hold  ourselves  bound  to  pra}'. 

[This  memorial  had  not  the  effect  of  procuring  them  any 
redress,  and  they  were  lett  to  undergo  their  punishment  in 
exile,  and  to  mingle  with  the  population  among  whom  they 
were  disti'ibuted,  in  the  hope  tijat  in  time,  ttieir  language, 
predilections,  aud  even  the  recollection  of  their  origin,  would 
be  lost  amidst  the  mass  oi  Englisu  people,  with  whom  they 
were  incorporated.* —  Ilaliburton.'} 


'<  I 


*  See  page  216,  foot  notei 


Hfi 


il:; 


h] 


A  relation  of  the  misfortunes  of  tlie  French  Neutrals,  as  laid 
before  tlie  Assembly  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania, 
by  John  Baptist  Galerm,  one  of  the  said  people. 

About  the  year  1713,  when  Annapolis  Royal  was  taken 
from  the  French,  our  Fathers  being  then  settled  on  the  Bay 
of  Fnudi,  upon  the  surrender  of  that  country  to  the  Eng- 
lish, had,  by  virtue  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  a  year  granted 
them  to  remove  with  their  f  tfects  ;  but  not  being  willing  to 
lose  the  fruits  of  so  many  years  labor,  they  chose  rather  to 
remain  theie.  and  become  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  on 
condition  that  tiiey  might  be  exem\)ted  from  bearing  arms 
against  Franco  (most  of  them  having  near  relations  and 
friends  aniongst  the  French,  which  they  might  have  de- 
Biroyed  with  their  own  hands,  had  they  consented  to  bear 
arms  against  them).  This  request  they  always  understood 
to  be  granted,  on  their  taking  the  Oath  of  Fidelity  to  her 
late  Rtajesty,  Queen  Anne ;  which  Oath  of  Fidelity  was  by 
us,  about  27  \eurs  ago,  renewed  to  his  Majesty,  King 
George,  by  General  Philipso,*  who  then  allowed  us  an  ex- 
emption from  bearing  arms  against  France ;  which  exemp- 
tion, till  lately,  (that  we  were  told  to  the  contrary)  we  al- 
ways thought  was  approved  by  the  King.  Our  Oath  of  Fi- 
delity, we  tljat  are  now  brought  into  this  Province,  as  well 
as  those  of  our  community  that  are  carried  into  neighboring 
provinces,  have  always  invioiably  observed,  and  have,  on  all 
ociasions,  been  willing  to  afford  all  the  assistance  in  our 
power  to  his  Majesty's  Governors  in  erecting  fortb,  making 
roads,  bridges,  &c.,  and  providing  provisions  for  liis  Majes- 
ty's service,  as  can  be  testified  by  the  several  governors  and 
officers  that  have  commanded  in  his  Majesty's  Province  of 
Nova  Scotia ;  and  this,  notwithstanding  the  repeated  solic- 


*See  pp.  117,  118. 


il 


APPEXDIX 


37) 


itntions,  threats,  anrl  abvisos,*  which  we  hnve  contin.iallv, 
iijoie  or  less,  satrtred  from  tlio  Frf^'i^h  iinl  Tn,lian<*  of  Can- 
ada on  that  account,  particularly  about  teu  years  ago,  when 
500  French  and  Indians  came  to  our  st'ttiemonts,  intending 
to  attack  Annapolis  Royal,  vv'hich,  had  their  intention  suc- 
ceeded, would  have  made  them  masters  of  all  Nova  Scotia, 
it  being  the  only  place  of  strength  tlie»i  in  that  Province, 
they  earnestly  solicited  us  to  join  with,  and  aid  them  there- 
in ;  but  we  peisisting  in  our  resolution  to  abid  -  true  to  our 
Oath  of  Fidelity,  and  absolutely  refusing  to  give  them  any 
assistance,!  they  gave  over  their  intention,  and  returned  to 
Canada.  And  about  seven  yeai's  past,  at  the  settling  of 
Halifax,  a  body  of  150  ludiaiis  came  amoiig.<t  us,  forced 
some  of  us  from  our  habitations,  anil  by  threats  and  blows 
Would  have  compelled  us  to  assist  them  in  way-laying  and 
destroying  the  English  then  employed  in  erecting  forts  iu 
different  parts  of  the  country ;  but  positively  refusing,  they 
leit  us,  after  having  abused  us,  and  made  great  havoc  of  our 
cattle,  &c.  I  myself  v»'as  six  wo»>k:i  before  I  wholly  recov- 
ered of  the  blows  received  at  that  time.  Almost  number- 
less are  the  instances  which  might  be  given  of  the  abuses 
and  losses  we  have  undergone  from  the  French  Indians,  on 
account  of  our  steady  adherence  to  our  Oath  of  Fidelity; 
and  yet,  notwitlistanding  our  stiict  observance  tliereof,  we 
have  not  been  able  to  prevent  the  grievous  calamity  which 
is  now  come  upon  us,  and  wiiich  we  apprehend  to  be  la 
great  measure  owing  to  the  unhappy  situation  and  conduct 
of  some  of  our  people  settled  at  Chiguecto,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  Bay  of  Fundi,  where  the  French,  about  four  years 
ago,  erected  a  i'ort ;  those  of  our  people  who  were  settled 
near  it,  after  having  had  many  of  tueir  settlements  burnt  by 
the  French,  being  too  far  from  Halifax  and  Fort  Royal  to 
expect  suixicient  assistance  from  the  English,  were  obliged, 
as  we  believe,  more  through  compulsion  and  fear  than  in- 
clination, to  join  with  and  assist  the  French ;  which  also 
appears  from  the  Articles  of  Capitalacion  agreed  on  between 
Colonel  Mouckton  and  the  French  (Jommander,  at  the  de- 
livery of  the  said  fort  to  tue  English,  whica  is  exactly  iu  the 
following  words : 

"  With  regard  to  the  Acadians,  as  they  have  been  forced 


•See  pp.  124,125. 


t  See  foot-no.es  on  pp.  167,  169,  194. 


38') 


ACADIA 


flli 


to  take  up  arms  on  pain  of  death,  they  shall  be  pardoned 

for  the  part  t))ey  have  hiHiii  taking."* 

Notwuiistaiiding  this,  as  these  people's  conduct  had  giv- 
en juHt  uiub)at:;e  to  the  Government,  and  created  suspicions 
to  the  prejudice  of  our  whole  community,  we  were  sum- 
uiuntd  to  appear  before  the  Governor  and  Council  at  Hali- 
fax, where  we  were  required  to  take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance, 
without  any  exception,  which  we  could  not  comply  with,  be- 
cause, an  that  Government  is  at  pi'esent  situate,  we  appre- 
hend we  should  have  been  obliged  to  take  up  arms;  but 
were  still  wilhiig  to  take  the  Oath  of  Fidelity,  and  give  the 
(strongest  asHuiances  of  continuing  peaceab.e  and  faithful 
to  hia  Britannic  Majesty,  with  that  exception.  But  this,  in 
tlie  present  situation  of  affairs,  not  being  satisfactory,  we 
were  made  priaonere,  and  our  estates,  both  real  and  person- 
al, forfeited  for  the  King's  use;  and  vessels  beiug  provided, 
we  weie  some  time  alter  sent  off,  with  most  of  our  families, 
and  dispersed  among  the  English  Colonies,  The  hurry  and 
confusion  in  which  we  were  embarked  was  an  aggravating 
circumstance  attending  our  misfortunes;  for  thereby  many, 
who  had  lived  in  alHuence,  found  themselves  deprived  of  ev- 
ery necessary  and  many  families  were  separated,  parents 
from  children,  and  chiluren  from  parents,!  let  blessed  be 
Gud  that  it  was  our  lot  to  be  sent  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
our  wants  have  been  reueved,  and  we  have  in  evtry  respect 
Lt  en  received  with  Christian  benevolence  and  chariiy.  And 
let  me  add,  that  notwithstanding  the  suspicions  and  fears 
which  many  aie  possessed  of  ou  our  account,  as  though  we 
were  a  dangeious  people,  who  make  little  scruple  of  breaking 
our  Oaths,  time  will  manifest  that  we  are  not  such  a  people: 
Ko,  the  unhappy  situation  which  we  are  now  m,  is  a  piuin 
evidence  that  this  is  a  false  chai'ge,  tending  to  aggravate 
the  misfortunes  of  an  already  too  unhappy  peopie ;  tor,  had 
we  entertained  such  pernicious  sentiments,  we  mignt  easily 
have  prevented  our  falling  into  tUe  melaucuoiy  circumstan- 
ces we  ai'e  now  in,  viz,:'  deprived  of  our  substance,  banisned 
from  our  native  country,  and  reduced  to  live  by  cnarity  in  a 
strange  land ;  and  this  for  refusing  to  take  an  Oath,  whicn 
Ciiristianity  absolutely  forbids  us  to  violate,  had  we  once 
taken  it,  and  yet  an  Oath  which  we  could  not  comply  with, 


■See  pp.  164  165. 


tSee  pp.  207,  208. 


APPF.XDIX 


Ml 


without  beiu<?  exposed  to  plunge  our  swords  in  the  breasta 
of  our  friends  aud  relatiouK.  AVe  shall,  however,  as  we 
havf)  Intherto  done,  submit  to  what,  in  the  i^rosent  sihuitiou 
of  (iflfairs,  may  s^ein  necessary,  and  with  patience*  and  resii^- 
ration  bear  whatever  God,  in  the  course  of  liis  Providence, 
shall  suffer  to  come  upon  us.  We  shall  also  think  it  our 
duty  to  seek  aud  promote  the  peace  of  the  country  into 
which  we  are  trauspoi  ted,  and  inviolably  keep  the  Oath  of 
Fidelity  that  we  have  taken  to  his  gracious  Majfstv,  King 
George,  whom  wo  lirmly  believe,  when  fully  acquainted  witu 
our  faithfulness  and  sufferings,  will  commiserate  our  unlmp- 
py  condition,  and  order  that  some  compensatioii  be  maiie  to 
u.s  for  our  losses.  Aud  may  the  Almighty  abundautiy  l/.f-ss 
his  Honor,  the  Governor,  the  honorable  Assembly  of  the 
troviijce,  and  the  good  people  of  Philadelphia,  whose  sym- 
pathy, benevolence  and  Christian  charity,  have  been,  and 
Btiil  are,  greatly  manifested  aud  extended'  toward  us,  a  poor 
distiessed  and  aliiicted  people,  is  the  sincere  and  eaiuesfc 
prayer  of 

JOUN    i3APTISTK    GALliKM. 


THE  END. 


i| 


